How to Change A Tire Written by Kevin Schappell Continued from page 1 Step 7: Now it's time to jack up car. Make sure you know where manufacturer has placed jacking points by reading owners manual or instructions near or on jack. Most cars will have a reinforced lip where jack can be placed. If you can not locate this, look for a solid portion of frame to jack on. Make sure jack is on firm level ground and start jacking. Take it slowly and only go as far as you need to get wheel off. Step 8: The wheel is off ground and it's time to remove lug nuts. Use wrench or your fingers to remove nuts. Slowly take wheel off and set it to side. Step 9: Get new wheel and put it on car. Tighten lug nuts as tight as you can without wheel spinning. Don't worry about getting nuts super tight, as you will do final tightening when car is off of jack. Step 10: Let car down off of jack and get your lug wrench. Tighten lug nuts in a star pattern if there are five nuts. Start with one lug nut and skip next one until they are all tight. If you have 4 nuts, just tighten opposite nut from where you started and then remaining two in any order. Step 11: Replace your wheel cover or hubcap and clean up jack, lug wrench and blown tire. If your spare tire had air in it, you should be able to continue your journey. Finally: Remember if you have a temporary spare tire (AKA doughnut) you can only drive a few miles to a service station and usually not over 50 MPH. Kevin Schappell maintains http://www.carbuyersclub.com where he gives advice on buying, selling, insurance, and financing. A mechanical engineer and car guy, Kevin has decided to spend his online time helping others learn about automobiles. To learn more about how your car works, Kevin has createdhttp://www.mycarwizard.com Test Driving A New Car Written by Kevin Schappell Continued from page 1 ·Drive a variety of roads. Mix it up with some city driving followed by highway if you can. You should make sure to try every gear and reach highway speeds to fully test car. ·Test brakes. The steering wheel should not shake while applying brakes. Also, check to see if car pulls to one side while braking. Squeaks and rattles could also indicate worn pads. ·Notice how car tracks. When you take your hands off of wheel, which way does car go? If car consistently tracks to one side, be concerned about alignment. The last thing you should check is how you feel about car. Did you enjoy driving it? Was there enough power to get your blood pumping? Is this a car you can live with every day? Most important don't get caught up in moment, don't buy first car you see, and never ever let dealer think you are interested. Kevin Schappell maintains http://www.carbuyersclub.com where he gives advice on buying, selling, insurance, and financing. A mechanical engineer and car guy, Kevin has decided to spend his online time helping others learn about automobiles. To learn more about how your car works, Kevin has createdhttp://www.mycarwizard.com     <Back to Page 1   ImproveHomeLife.com © 2005 Terms of Use