Small Engine Repair: What You Need to Know

Your small engine might stop working when you most need it. When such happens, the quickest option is to look for small engine repair near me to ensure that it is repaired as soon as possible. 

Whenever your small engine gets damaged, you might not have the money to buy a new one. This does not mean you will leave your work undone. For instance, if you need to mow your lawn or blow snow from your pavements and the equipment is not running well, it might be frustrating. These are urgent activities that cannot wait longer than they already. The best thing to do is search for a small engine repair shop near you, and you will be sorted out.

Buying new equipment might be costly. This makes repairing the small engine the best option because it might not have any other faulty parts. You do not have to buy a new one, yet you can have the engine running again. The cost of repairing the engine is relatively lower than that of buying a new one. All you have to do is talk to your repair shop owner to discuss an affordable rate for repairing your small engine.

If your engine becomes faulty a few months after purchase, it would be irrational to buy other equipment. The current one is still new, and therefore, you are better off having it repaired. Shopping for new equipment can be hectic since you need to window shop for quality. You also have to buy one that matches your budget. If you do not have time to do all these, why not have the small engine repaired by a shop near you? It is less time-consuming since you will not have to window-shop or consider factors such as quality.

Repairing a small engine might not be as easy as it seems. One, it will require an expert in engines to do so. The repair process involves alt of activities, and you might get dirty while doing it. If you want to avoid all these hustles, it is advisable to seek professional services to repair your small engine. The expert will ensure to correct the fault that was making the engine not work. They would also help you with frequent maintenance to avoid cases where the engine won’t run at all.

Equipment with small engines plays an important role at home. Hence, it is necessary to keep them in good condition at all times. Small engine repair shops know how to do it. You should look for one near your area to avoid the inconveniences that faulty equipment might bring.

Small engines have become one of the most common things that run things around the home. Whether for personal or commercial use, they are prone to get damaged. Whenever such happens, it is necessary to take the right action as soon as possible to get back to your work. Companies such as Westside Small Engine Repair have qualified professionals that will repair your engine as soon as possible. 

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Prepping Lexi for TÜV Inspection

Car inspections are necessary to endure that your vehicle is safe to be used in public and to check out the conformity of the emissions to existing standards. Should faults or issues arise during the inspection, they should be adressed or rectified first. Once done, a reinspection is conducted. Should there be no further issues, you get a certificate confirming that the vehicle is safe to use in the public. You then get a sticker that is attached to your vehicle's license plate, which tells you when your next car inspections will be done. 

Lexi, our Toyota Corolla sports edition is due for inspection soon. She has an oil leak somewhere and my husband, being the handyman that he is, is trying to look for the source of the leak. So he has Lexi under close scrutiny in our small garage. He is only able to work on Lexi when time allows him to. That means after he finishes his work (he is in home office by the way), which is oftentimes already late. In the winter months, it is already very dark at 5 o' clock and so, he can't do much. 

Hopefully he will be able to fix this problem before then so that Lexi can run without problems again. 

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URUS: Lamborghini's SUV

Sport Utility Vehicles or SUVs have been very popular in the market especially in the late 1990's and early 2000's because of their off-road capabilities. These are usually big cars, meaning they are built on a light truck chassis. They are also referred to as "off-road vehicle", "four-wheel drive" (4WD) or "four by four" (4x4) in other countries.

Although not a car enthusiast myself, I cannot help but be updated on the latest about car models, thanks to a husband who basically works with cars and who is an avid follower of Top Gear, a British television series about motor vehicles. The latest is about the revelation of Lamborghini's latest concept car: the URUS, a sport utility vehicle.

This car concept will be made public tomorrow, 23rd of April at the 2012 Beijing Motor Show in China. In the meantime, enjoy these leaked renderings of the SUV concept:

More photos at http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/lamborghini-urus-concept-revealed-2012-04-23.

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German Cars, Who Doesn't Love Them?

Volkswagen. BMW. Porsche. Mercedes Benz. Opel. Audi. These are among the best car brands known the world over. And I know you also want to own one. Even if it is just second hand or a "Gebrauchtwagen" as it is called here.

When we arrived here in Germany, I was so amazed to see these cars running everywhere. Then I realized that it is common for these cars to run here because, well, they are made here! Lol! :D And the car that the company provided for my husband in our first six weeks here was an Audi A4 Quattro. Then my husband found a BMW 3er Touring from a local store at a very good price and very good condition.

Buying a car wasn't that difficult for my husband because there are many dealers available in our area. They also have websites that you can visit online to see the models that they have. Most car dealers offer a test drive of the car that you are interested in so that you will have a feel of how they run. The process of buying our car was relatively easy and quick and we got the car on the same day that he paid for it.  If you are looking for car dealers selling or buying used cars, you only need to look up pkw ankauf. PKW is short for "Personenkraftwagen" or passenger cars or simply cars. If you want to sell your cars, there are many car dealers who will be glad to buy your cars back too. These cars are then reconditioned and sold to other East European or exported to some African countries.

I don't know if we will still be able to sell our car in the future. But it is good to know that we have options should we decide to get a new car.

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TCP#92: Gone in 60 Seconds

Hello Couchers! Welcome to the 92nd edition of Tuesday Couch Potatoes. Do you feel the rush? Eight more themes to go until our 100th post and I know you are all excited about it. I too don't know yet what our theme will be the 100th post so do you have any suggestions?

Today's theme on TCP is all about "Fast Cars". Before your entries come rushing, let me post my pick, "Gone in 60 Seconds". It is an American action film that came out in 2000 and stars Nicholas Cage, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi, Christopher Eccleston, Robert Duvall, Vinnie Jones and Will Patton. This is a very nice fast movie, with lots of modern and vintage cars that would make men and women drool. And aside from the cars, the movie also revolves around the theme "blood is thicker than water" as Cage is forced to go back to stealing 50 cars in 72 hours in order to save his brother's life.

If you haven't seen this movie yet, you should. You will never be sorry. I even watch this with my husband every now and then because it is really entertaining.

Got a Fast Cars movie to share? Enter your link in the linky below then!

Thanks for joining us this Tuesday Couchers! Hope to see you all again next week for the theme "Divas Turned Actresses" where we feature films whose cast love to sing and have a great talent for acting too. Happy TCP everyone and have a great week ahead.

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Toys for the Big Boys

I enjoy watching motor shows every now and then. Because my husband also has an interest in this line, I would tag along and watch car or motor shows with him, whether on TV or at exhibits. I guess it is normal for men to love cars. They even have the tendency to drool over them and if they can afford it, would like to have a collection or two.

I have never been to live races before but I know that they can be so thrilling and exciting, especially if the race is at night. There is just something about night races, with the car's head and tail lights beaming into the night. Have you ever seen those big cars driving off to the safari, with their off road led light bar as their guide? I have never been on a safari but knowing that something so bright is there to help navigate into the dark night surely could give you that sense of security and will help you feel at ease.

I guess there is just something about cars that give men that sense of power and masculinity. And if you have good wheels, you can always go a very long way.

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125 Years of Automobile History

The automobile industry, which has been around for more than a hundred years celebrated it's 125 years of history last May 7-8, 2011 here in Stuttgart. A special exhibition took place at Schlossplatz in Stuttgart, Germany and many companies related to the automobile industry showed many upcoming and promising technology.

There was a festive air at the Schlossplatz as there was also another festival going on: The International Animated Film Festival. It was also Mother's Day so that the mood became more festive as people went from one booth to another to get information and collect free items like shopping bags, promotional pens, advertising flags, even buckets. There were also cars of every age, shape and purpose on exhibit at the palace grounds. There's also different surprises for the kids, balloons and small stuffed toys being the most popular.

To get to know more about the history of cars, one can always visit the many car museums here in Germany. There's the Porsche Museum and the Mercedes Benz Museum in Stuttgart and the BMW Museum in Munich.

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Getting Rid of Steinschlag

I have been reminding my husband time and again to have the steinschlag (stone chip) on our car's windshield repaired. There is now a technology that will repair these small stone chips on your vehicle's windshield that takes only about thirty minutes and is usually covered by your car insurance.

So last Monday, on our way home from Frankfurt, he decided to drop by the car glass company and had it checked. When the technician saw where the stone chip was located, he said that he could not repair it because to stone chip is located on the driver's field of vision and recommended that the entire windshield be replaced. Generally, they have a "keine Reparatur möglich" zone (no repair possible zone) or Reparatur verboten (repair not allowed) as in the image shown below:

The costs would still be covered by the insurance since the chip was caused by natural means and we would only need to pay a minimum fee for the services. 

So now, instead of a repaired windshield, we got a new windshield and we no longer have to worry about the stone chips getting bigger and presenting higher risks should we run into an accident.

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Time to Change

Early last month, my husband went to the tire service center to have our summer tires replaced with winter tires. The cold season was fast approaching then and it is here to stay for four more months. He went to the usual service center where he purchased the tires and asked the mechanic to have our tires changed. And the mechanic jokingly said that changing our tires is a lot of work. 

Why? Because we don't have spare tire rims, which means that with every tire change, the technicians will also need to remove the rims from each tire and replace it to the other tires, reinstall the sensors and all the other technical stuff that technicians do when replacing tires.They would also need to perform wheel balancing and alignment after putting the tires back.

We will definitely be needing a new set of tire rims in the summer. That way, our tires won't need to undergo stress from all the pulling when the rims need to be removed and the technicians will have an easier job at replacing them. Hubby wants premium alloy for the rims and I know just where to find them - on the Internet, of course!

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Traveling and Car Seats

I always enjoy traveling with my family. What I don't enjoy is when my little girl gets car motion sickness. On the one side, I hate to see her in pain and get all messed up because of it. On the other side, I don't like the smell that hangs in the air and the cleaning that I need to do afterwards.

Oh yes, cleaning up is very difficult, especially the car seats because they need to be deodorized and the stain needs to be removed. If we only had seat covers, it wouldn't be that difficult. With seat covers, your car seats are protected from unwanted stains and spills and what's best, you only need to remove them and wash them and they are good as new! I guess it is high time we buy one. I am looking for washable and easy to clean ones, with a modern design that will suit our car.

And I found these custom made sheepskin seat covers that will just be perfect for our car, especially now that winter is fast approaching. It looks elegant, and I like the sheepskin material too. It won't be difficult to clean and our car seat will be well protected too. And we won't even be ashamed to ask friends to ride with us because our car seats will soon look good as new with these seat covers!

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The Beauty of Bluetooth

So you have a car. And you have a mobile phone. You are driving your car and then your mobile phone rings. What do you do?

Option 1: Do you get your phone in one hand and answer it while the other is holding the steering wheel?

Option 2: Do you park on the shoulder of the road before answering the phone?

Option 3: Do you use your headset to answer it?

Most likely, many will choose Option 3. In many countries, motorists are mandated to use headsets when they are using their mobile phone while driving. This is for the safety of drivers and the general traffic. For those who are simply hard headed and want to risk it, they would choose Option 1. For those who still have time to spare and are not in any hurry, they would choose Option 2.

But what if both your car and your mobile phone are Bluetooth enabled? Then there would be no need for those fussy and easily entangled headsets. One can just enable the Bluetooth connectivity in their car and mobile phone and they can drive safely while talking to someone on their mobile phone. I think it is safer and one can hear the voice clearly too. Others can even join in the conversation because everyone can hear it.

Hubby does that most of the time, especially if he is already on his way home from work. And I don't have to worry about him using his phone while driving because I know both his hands are holding the steering wheel.

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Auto Insurance and Medical Coverage

Many people decide that they could save a little money on their auto insurance policy by declining the medical coverage. This is the benefit that will pay your medical costs if you are hurt in an accident. It covers you even if you are at fault. In fact, if you have this coverage, you have the right to collect from both your insurance company and the other person's company if they are found to be at fault and are responsible for your expenses.

You might think that you will be OK because you have medical coverage. While it is true that standard health insurance coverage will pay your medical costs even if you are hurt in an accident, you will still have to pay all co-payments, deductibles, and prescription costs. Even if you have a cap on your maximum out-of-pocket expenses, this amount can quickly add up.

What if you are also out of work due to your injuries? Of course, the other person is supposed to pay for lost wages if they are found to be at fault, but that process may take over two years to complete. If they don't have adequate coverage, you may not be able to collect a penny. You might as well forget about even trying if they were uninsured in the first place.

With medical expense coverage, you won't have to worry about how your medical bills will be paid. For just a few dollars each year, you'll know that you're covered in the event of a traumatic accident regardless of who is at fault. Not only will it cover you, as the policy holder, but it will also cover anyone else who drives your car and any passengers. When you're shopping for your next auto insurance policy, make sure that you add this valuable coverage.

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Personalize Your Number Plates

As you zoom around in your vehicle, you can tag your personality or pay homage to something special in your life with a personalized plate. Number plates have been required in the United Kingdom since the turn of the 20th century. Meant to protect your identity in the event of an on-road incident, your plate tracks your place within the national registry. The format and size as well as other aesthetic components of the plates are mandated by law, but your choice of numbers can be mandated by you.

Excluding the letters "I" and "O" due to the chance of their being misread as the numbers "1" and "0" respectively, your options are endless when it comes to choosing characters for your registration plates. Whether it's your child's birthday or your area code affixed to your favorite number, your unique choices can be displayed for all to see.

Auctions are held each year that transfer plates to the highest bidder. These online auctions are accessible each day much like other electronic auctions. Participating in these auctions is a great chance to obtain a plate that fits your interests, even if you want one that follows the old standards of tagging vehicles with their model year on the plate.

Online portals allow prospective registrations to be entered to view availability. You may enter the letter/number combination of your choice and you will immediately be notified if it is available, and if not, a generated list of available alternatives will be displayed for your choosing.

A lot of websites will take care of the lengthy paperwork as long as you provide the necessary details to legally transfer a plate into your name. On the other end, if you wish to sell your plate, a simple online registration is required so that you may list your plate for sale.

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Mercedes Benz Museum

We finally got to visit the Mercedes Benz Museum after a year and two months of living here in Stuttgart, thanks to our friend who came to visit us last weekend.

The Mercedes Benz Museum, located at the Neckar-Park in Stuttgart, surpasses many dimensions and is the world's largest museum displaying exhibits of just one brand. It is one of Stuttgart's unique attractions and a new city landmark, with it's intertwined double helix structure. It was designed by the team of architects UN Studio van Berkel & Bos in Amsterdam.

It has a vast exhibition area of 16,500 sq.m., where all the eras and milestones from 120 years of Mercedes-Benz history are represented. The museum is not only a Mecca for automobile fans of the world, but also for those interested in architecture.

From the outside, the museum appears to have three storeys, but by virtue of its spiral construction the interior actually has nine different levels. On display are some 80 passenger vehicles, 40 racing and record-breaking cars and 40 utility vehicles.

If you are planning for a visit, be prepared for the ride of your life and quite a fascinating journey through time.

Contact Information:

Mercedes-Benz Museum

Mercedesstrasse 100 (next to the main factory)

70372 Stuttgart

Exhibit hours: Tue-Sun and public holidays (9a.m. - 6p.m.)

Closed: Mondays

Admission: Adults €8.00, Children 4-15yo €4.00

How to get there: Buses 51, 56 or S1 train going to Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion

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It's Travel Season Once Again

It's summer season once again! Summer is making it's presence known with the warm, hot sun up from as early as 5:00AM until as late as 9:00PM. And with the heat and fine weather, it is indeed great to spend it traveling into the great outdoors, go camping, or just visiting the many summer destinations available.

Travel season also means it's time again to check our car so that it is in tiptop shape when we go on road trips. We have already changed from winter tires to summer tires a few months ago. This time, we are going to have our air filter checked because we have a diesel engine and perhaps add a cold air intake to help cool our car engine. The whole family will be traveling so that a well-maintained conditioned car is a must.

I can't wait for our next summer destination! We might visit the French countryside and Lourdes, or go camping and rent a Wohnmobil (camper) or visit theme parks for some summer fun. My in-laws are coming for a three-month visit and we hope to show them around Germany and other neighboring European countries. Let's see where our reliable car will take us.

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Turbochargers For That "Vava-Vrooommmm"!

When we first came here in Germany last April, we were given an Audi A3 Quatro series to use for six weeks while we are still looking for our own new ride. There is just something very powerful with it: it roars wonderfully as if it is the king of the road. It really does sound quite intimidating and I smile at the thought of it. I tried driving it once too, at the parking lot, just to have a feel. I asked hubby what makes it so special and he told me that Audi cars are equipped with audi turbocharger making them very powerful. He also added that turbochargers can be fitted to a car engine if you want to make your ride powerful.

That said, you can still achieve that powerful performance by adding a turbocharger to your car engine. If you are looking for one, there is turbochargerpros.com for all your turbocharger needs. Shipping is FREE for all orders so you need not worry about additional fees. Ain't that great?

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Bam-Bam And Her New Look

We call our ride Bam-Bam, a BMW 3-Series 2006 Model and we just love her. She drives smoothly, keeps us safe, has a very quick response and has never failed us during our many short and long distance travels. I guess you could say that we have come to love her. Sam even gets excited when she sees her because that would mean another smooth ride with her.

I have been thinking of purchasing some new car accessories for Bam-Bam this Christmas... like some new LED tail lights so that she will have her own character and personality. My Hubby sometimes gets confused when we are in the parking lot because there are other cars parked with the same model and this would just be the perfect solution to his confusion. Why LED? Because compared to Halogen bulbs, they give far more brightness so that when you are driving in dark areas, your tail lights are still visible. This is important especially in the winter season when the roads tend to get all fogged up and it is very difficult to see whether there is a vehicle in front of you or not.

I hope that these tail lights are available in our car model. So that it will be an all-new look for her.

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Car Safety vs. Price

Much has been said about car accidents. We see it on the news, we hear about it on the radio, we read about it in newspapers. We hear about these accidents and people getting injured almost on a daily basis, what with cars becoming more and more a necessity each day. It is a sad reality that most injuries and casualties from car accidents are a result not of the crash itself, but of the the car's intruding parts in the passenger compartment for example.

The frontal impact test done by Euro NCAP.

How safe is the car you are driving then? Have you ever given that a thought? I was watching this archive video of a car show one time when their topic for the day caught my attention: Car Safety. There they explained the different frontal impact test results conducted by an independent assessor of car safety in Europe. Generally, cars having high safety ratings are safer. And it most cases, higher rating cars are also more expensive. The question then that has been bugging me lately is "would you compromise your and your family's safety over price?"

So before you buy a car OR the next time you buy a car, consider safety over price. The image below is the latest results released by Euro NCAP in August 2009 and might just help you in deciding which car to choose.

-click on image to enlarge-

You may also check your car's rating by entering the make and model here.

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Yellow Monday: World Motor Sport 2009

Hubby went to the World Motor Sport 2009 Exhibition in Frankfurt last Friday along with his colleagues. It was one of those annual events and the place was packed with cars and spectators. Exhibitors included all the big names like Maserati, Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Audi, Volkswagen, Lamborghini, Jaguar, Rolls Royce, Toyota, Renault.

Different car models were on exhibit, of course, from hybrid cars, hydrogen-fueled cars, futuristic cars, electric cars, race cars, even some the old models. It was indeed a feast for the eyes especially if you are a car fanatic. Below are the yellow that I got from his photos.

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