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Having established our company as the all time leader in mobile “wet” car washing, we get a lot of questions from equipment designers of mobile car wash rigs and mobile auto detailers starting out. Generally one of the two most common comments is regarding the fresh water used to wash the cars to prevent spots. The other most common question is regarding the EPA Environmental Protection Agency and the required NPDES National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Permits. You see in mobile washing you are not allowed to let the waste wash water affluent enter a storm drain.

On the subject of water filtration and purification, here is an interesting comment from our franchisee who had the contract to clean most of the John Elway Dealerships in Colorado and how he configured his spot free water system. Perhaps this in formation will assist you in your efforts for a spot free rinse and thus perfection in your washing process?

“Having a soft water tank on the truck has worked very well. We find that it improves all of our washing and especially at car lots. De-I water is not needed to get good results. Spotting only occurs if water is left to dry completely on a dark colored car under direct sunlight. It is inexpensive to maintain and easy to set up. Recharging can be done weekly or every two weeks depending on water conditions and the volume of water treated. A refurbished system can be set up and installed for less than $600. Because it is mounted on the truck we can use almost any water source without having to return home to fill up.”

One of the keys to successful car washing and auto detailing is clean spot free water and there are a few different ways to get their depending on the hardness of your local waters supply, so check up on what is available in your area and remember this article so you can ask the right questions of the vendors you talk with. Think on this in 2006.

Lance Winslow - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Donating money and good is a great way to help out worthy causes while still helping yourself out on your taxes. Car donation is no different. Even though some of the car donation tax laws changed a few years back, this is still a great way to help yourself and others. So if you have an old car and just aren’t quite sure what to do with it, then consider a charitable donation of your vehicle.

As of 2005, the laws for car donation changed. For motor vehicles, boats, and airplanes that are valued at more than $500, things are a bit different than before. The allowable amount of the deduction is now limited to whatever amount the charity sells it for. The charity to which your car donation is made is required to provide you with written acknowledgement of your donation within 30 days of you making it. If the charity provides any false or exaggerated acknowledgement, they can be penalized.

As of the first of January in 2005, when you make a car donation, the tax write off is based on how the charity uses your donated car. If it is sold, you can deduct the gross sale price. If, on the other hand, the charity uses the car for what the new law calls “significant” tax-approved work of charity, you would be able to claim the market value of the vehicle. Again, however, there are stiff penalties for falsified documents.

Some of the charities, despite acknowledging that the old laws had problems, are skeptical of the new car donation laws. Many of these organizations are concerned about what will happen when the tax deduction responsibility is put in the hands of the charities rather than the donors. A group of them actually sent a letter to the Treasury Secretary suggesting that people may be discouraged from donating when they are unaware of their deduction amount. Not being able to weigh the cost to the benefit of donation may discourage some auto donations.

If you do choose to make a car donation, you will find that the process is very easy. Most charities that offer to take your vehicle will have information on line or via phone about it. In many cases, in fact, you can fill out the appropriate forms on line to get the process underway. You also will likely not even have to be home and the vehicle may not even need to be in working condition. Many charities will come and toe your car away if you can simply leave the title under a floor mat along with the key and put it somewhere accessible. As soon as the car is sold, you will receive a document in the mail letting you know how much you can write off of your taxes, legally.

Since many charities rely on donations of all sorts: clothing, cars, money, and even appliances, think about what you are doing when you make an auto donation. By donating your vehicle, you are helping out a worthy cause of your choice. In addition, you are helping yourself out. Sure, the tax laws have changed, but you can still benefit from your donation. The car doesn’t have to run to be eligible, so your write off might still be more than selling it for junk. So feel good about yourself, help your tax line, and get rid of that old junker by donating your car.

Christopher M. Luck has an extensive background in dealing exclusively with car donations companies and is now offering his free professional car donation secrets to the public. If you are at all interested in Christopher’s professional advice, tips, or secrets on car donation you can visit his automotive blog.

Have you thought about doing something that is meaningful and full of good will? Many Americans wish to, but many never end up getting around to doing so. Do not be one of those individuals. You do not have to be rich to donate. Car donations are a great way to help out a good cause, especially if you do not have the financial recourses needed to make a large cash donation. In fact, you will find that you don’t even need to have a new car. Many donated cars are in less than perfect shape, but they are still appreciated.

If you have made the decision to donate your car, you have a number of different options. Those options often involve using the services of a car donation program or finding a charity, which will accept your donated car, all on your own. Choosing one of those methods isn’t as easy as it may sound. Perhaps, the best way to decide which donate car method is the best for you is to compare the two. The one that has the most advantages or benefits should be the car donation method that best fits your needs.

When it comes to finding a car donation company or a local charity, you will find that a car donation company is often easier to find. You can find the contact information for multiple programs online. This can easily be done with an internet search. For the best results, you will want to perform a search using the words donate car. Within a few seconds and with the click of a mouse, you should be able to find a local car donation program.

You can also familiarize yourself with local charities, especially ones that may want a donated car; however, it isn’t as easy as finding a car donation program. With car donation programs, you know exactly what they want. Unfortunately, not all local charities want or need a donated car. This means that after spending hours researching and contacting local charities, you could still be stuck with your car.

As previously mentioned, you do not have to have a perfect car to donate. Car donations are accepted in just about any condition, in most cases. Car donation programs are more willing to accept a non-working vehicle than one of your local charities. This is because most car donation programs partner with mechanics and other car experts. These professional could turn to your non-working car into one that works great. However, to do this time and money is needed. Unfortunately, you will find that most of your local charities do not have either. Therefore, if you have a car that is in less than perfect working condition, you may want to obtain the services of a donation program.

While it may seem like a car donation program has most benefits, you may still prefer to do your own leg work. If this is the case, go ahead. All that matters is that you made the decision to donate. Car donations are wanted by all different types of charitable organizations. It doesn’t necessarily matter how you get your vehicle to them, as long as you do.

Mariah Cruz is a writer for Car Angel . com where you will see abundant amounts of information on things such as a Car donation and other related information.

http://www.carangel.com

If you have gotten to the test drive portion of the car buying process, you should have already narrowed down your vehicle choices to just a small handful, and now you need to see how each of them actually drives. It’s best not to test drive any vehicle that you have not researched as this is how many dealers get you to buy a vehicle that is more than what you originally planned.

They know that once you actually sit in a very expensive car and physically drive it, there is a good chance that you will begin trying to justify buying it any way that you can because of it’s natural appeal. To keep from putting yourself in that situation altogether just avoid test driving any car that you haven’t already selected as a purchase that could fit well within your monthly budget.

That said, what you want to do on a new car test drive is simulate the driving conditions that will be part of the daily routine for that vehicle. So if you do a lot of stop and go driving, make sure that you drive the car on streets that have that kind of traffic. If you tend to drive on the highway, put it on a nearby highway to test it out.

Once inside the car, take note of all the location of all the safety features like windshield wipers, headlights, horn and so on. It’s amazing how many people climb into a strange car and take off without knowing where these switches are and so they start fumbling for them out on the road where such a distraction can be very dangerous.

While the car is stopped in a safe area, it’s a good idea to get in and out of the car a few times and make sure that it is relatively easy for you to do so. Also don’t forget to check how easy it is to enter and exit the car from the back seat. If you have a family make sure that they will fit comfortably in the back seat as well as the front.

An important consideration for tall drivers is to check the feel of the driver’s seat, especially if it goes back far enough to comfortably accommodate your height.

It’s often a good idea to take the car to a deserted parking lot and test the brakes and cornering more thoroughly and aggressively than you can on the road. Just do it in a safe manner that isn’t reckless. And keep the radio off as you drive to be able to listen closely for noises that could signal a possible problem with that vehicle.

If you practice these suggestions when you test drive a new car it will help you get thoroughly familiar with the vehicle and how it fits you and your needs. If it does not measure up to expectations expand your original search instead. But only buy a vehicle that you feel totally comfortable about after the test drive.

Jim Johnson writes on many consumer related topics including autos. You can find out more about how to buy used car online and new car buying tips by visiting our Auto Review website.

One of the coolest innovations in the last few years for personal technology devices around the home, surely has to be the iRobot “Romba” robotic vacuum cleaner. I mean come on, that is just too cool, you gotta love those research engineers who came up with that one. But now we need to challenge them to come up with another unit that can clean my car. I mean have you seen my car lately?

I do not have time to go to a carwash, nor do I want all the change stolen from my ashtray or to read any signs, which say; “We are not responsible for items stolen from your car!” Oh really, well then is that to say you are anticipating stealing items from my car if I allow you to clean my automobile? And if so, why on Earth would I want to take my car to get washed by a bunch of thieves or even bother to pay you with my ATM or credit card? Dah?

So, I guess we are all stuck on vacuuming our own cars? Or are we? Why not get a little gizmo robotic car vacuum unit to do it for us? I bet they would sell a gazillion of them? But how exactly would this work you ask?

Well, I propose it be made small so it can crawl under the seats or made with Velcro Tracks so it can climb over them and then fall to the floor and start on the next row of seats in my SUV. It could also be in the shape of a tube, which would wiggle around and vacuum all the dust.

http://www.roboticstrends.com/dev1/storyimages/OmniTread2sm.jpg

Personally I guess we do not care how they make it really, just make one that works and we will buy it. We need our car interiors cleaned and we need a better way to do it than to risk our personal items being stolen at a car wash. Think on this in 2006.

Lance Winslow - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Choosing a car cover is not as simple as visiting your local auto supply store and purchasing the generic car cover to throw over your car. Most generic car covers won’t do a good job of protecting your car. Although a model-specific car cover is of course the best selection, there are many factors to consider when choosing the right car cover for your auto. Is your car exposed to extreme weather conditions? Is your car tucked safely away in a covered garage? Choosing the correct material and fit are an important factor when selecting the best car cover.

Some car cover manufacturers provide custom-made car covers for those who may have made additions to their prized sports car. Adding a wing or side mirrors will necessitate buying a custom cover. A tight fit is important when keeping dust, sand, and other elements off your car. There are several materials to choose from when selecting your car cover. Tyvek is a pliable plastic that offers protection from snow, rain, bird droppings, and tree sap. Tyvek is usually offered in less expensive one-size-fits-all car covers. Duravent offers protection from bird droppings and tree sap, while still letting air and moisture escape from the car. Letting the heat escape means less chance of a cracked vinyl interior. Ultralon, a favorite choice in car covers, not only protects your car from the weather but also from UV rays and heat.

Another option when it comes to car covers is the use of a bra or cockpit cover. These are partial car covers that protect certain parts of the car. A bra on the front of your car will protect it from nicks and scratches and a cockpit cover will protect the interior of your car. These covers are fitted to the shape of your windows, keeping the UV rays out while offering protection against fading and cracking.

This article may be used, but only in its entirety with all links included and was brought to you by
Christain Cullen
who is a successful webmaster and writer.

For more information about car care, why not visit our car-care pages

Here are some tips on saving money when buying a car:

1. Don’t be fooled when dealers offer to sell you a super paint sealant that cost $40. Real superior paint sealants are only used by the U.S. military, used on their Aegis Media Towers. What they might be selling is just cheap car wax.

2. Don’t pay for rust proofing or fabric protection because you can get one your own by buying Scotch Guard.

3. Don’t get your extended warranty from you car dealer because you can get them free and no obligation quote from 1 Auto Warranty Source. You can save $900 to $1500 by doing this.

4. The alarm system that the dealer wills sell is definitely inferior and has a higher cost. Instead look in your phone books for alarm dealers to save you more money.

5. Buy your accessories from other accessories shops because the dealers will pile up on the accessories. They also add up too much profit margin and this is where they make big bucks.

6. Get a firm-out-of door quote from the dealer first before discussing how much are your quotes. Because the dealer might be able to give a lower quote than what you have researched.

7. When buying a used car having a CARFAX report is really helpful. Carfax History reports reveals all the little mischief that the used car has been in. Consider it as a car’s conduct report.

8. Dealer prep is a scam that you must never pay. You must also never pay prep fees as they are already included in the MSRP and you’ll end up paying it twice.

9. Valuation fees and Tariff fees are other fees that are designed to get more money out of you. Don’t pay for them too.

10. The dealer cost you pay should not be more than 5 percent, because five percent is already a decent commission rate for those dealers.

You may freely reprint this article provided the following author’s biography (including the live URL link) remains intact:

About The Author

John Mussi is the founder of Direct Online Loans who help homeowners find the best available loans via the http://www.directonlineloans.co.uk website.

Safety is a big concern when kids are having car wash fundraisers on busy corners with the traffic buzzing by in 6000 Lb. SUVs. You need to think safety and there of course other factors too. When people think about car wash fundraisers, they think of fun, water fights, etc. A few water fights are ok but remember you are there to make money. I’m not saying ‘Absolutely no water fights.’ If you take away all the fun you won’t get hard work out of anyone. If you run your car wash like a drill sergeant you will:

Break momentum

Find workers taking breaks

Wash less cars

Have no volunteers next year

Be hated for ruining a perfect Saturday

The easiest way to control a group is to assign tasks that must be done for each person. Since we recommend that your car wash be from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm you should divide your washers and sign holders in half. In other words, if you have twenty-five people in your group, have thirteen work from 10:00 am to noon and twelve people work from noon to 2:00 pm. If you’ve done well at marketing, you will have so many cars to wash that you will never finish. You will be busy and that will cut down on the horse play. If the horse play gets out of hand, start switching people around to do different jobs. Send the culprit to hold a sign on the corner to draw more cars in. Use that high energy in a positive way so your group makes more money. Send the other person to talk to people while holding a donation can. A good person for this would be whoever was the instigator. This manipulative personality trait is exactly what you will need to get more tips. The third water fighter, if there is a third, might now become a dryer.

If you have a new group of water fighters right away have the parent do the spraying. Maybe you are so slow that everyone is bored so they are playing around. Send the next two wildest kids to a local grocery store to sell left over tickets.

I believe you need one parent in the drying area, one in the washing area and one on the donation can. If you have a bake sale, sell hot dogs, etc. you will need another parent in charge of that area. They should expect to work all four hours. Their kids should also work four hours. That makes four to five kids that will remain in check. If you have too many chiefs this could cause a small problem. So be careful.

ORGANIZING WASHERS

You should think in advance about who should do which car washing jobs. Taller kids should be dryers rather than washers. Usually cars are dirty on the bottom. Tall people tend to skip behind the wheels down low when they get tired, but you need them to dry on top of mini-vans and utility vehicles. The most outgoing people you should use to hold signs for one hour and switch them to soapers later. They will bring in energy half way through the shift. High energy out going people won’t get tired holding a sign and yelling at cars to stop in to the car wash fundraiser. They will increase everyone’s energy levels.

PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEM

If you have a really strong energy auctioneer/comedian/radio type in your group you can keep everyone hyped during your car wash. When they are not talking, play music such as “At the car wash.” It makes for a fun time and customers just love this type of stuff. If you don’t have a P.A. system, get a megaphone and use that. If a customer compliments you on a nice job tell them to say this into the P.A. system so all can hear. It is also good as you have command of the situation and can call kids quickly into check if they start doing something dangerous or get too out of hand with horse play.

DONATION CANS

Get a medium size coffee can and wrap it with bright yellow paper. Write ‘DONATIONS’ on the can in blue magic marker. Cut a hole in the top of the plastic lid one-half inch wide by two inches long for people to stuff money in. Also write on the can in smaller letters, but not too small either, ‘THANK YOU’ or ‘PLEASE’.

Every parent should be concerned with safety and supervision at a car wash fundraiser, perhaps you might make a quick phone call to the coordinator of the event to make sure on this and also perhaps volunteer to make sure everything is fine, no body gets hurt and everything is under control. Do you job as a parent, I knew you would, thanks again.

Lance Winslow - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

OK, you’ve finally gotten through the front end part of buying your car. You have worked hard done some tough negotiating and feel like you have negotiated a good and fair deal on your car purchase and trade-in. Now it’s time to head into the dealer’s F&I (finance and insurance) department and go through the formality of signing the financing paper work on the back end of the deal.

You may have noticed a couple of terms: front end and back end. I used these terms to illustrate a point to you. From a car dealer perspective there are two distinct parts (profit centers) to each deal. The front end of the deal is the new car price, your trade in, any dealer add on’s that they got you to buy with your new car, etc. All of this, most everyone is indeed familiar with. The second part of the deal, the back end, is not a place to let your guard down. The back end is the F&I department. The F&I manager is every bit as responsible for making sales numbers and profit margins as everyone else at the dealership and they are sales people NOT financial advisers and their purpose is to help maximize the profit on the deal.

Don’t assume that you are going to be offered the best possible interest rate you can get by the F&I manager. Quite the opposite! Adding a point or two (or more) to your contract interest rate above what you qualify for is a serious profit maker for the dealer.

Also keep in mind that all of your hard work negotiating your deal on the front end has been by in large verbal and perhaps a handshake. True, as a result, you may have a signed buyers order or worksheet that the salesperson and or manager have signed off on, but it is in the F&I department where all of this gets put into contract form.

Stay focused. Some dealers and salespeople may even imply that in order for the deal to get approved, you have to finance through their finance department. You don’t. In fact, if you have done your homework and found a better financing offer, you should take it. At the very least, you know what numbers you qualify for, and as such you should ask the car dealership to try to better what you already have.

Read the contract. Sound so basic, but most people don’t. Don’t just assume that everything that you negotiated with the dealership on the front end will make its way to the back end of your car deal. If you’ve had a long day negotiating to get the price you want, don’t give it all back in the F&I department by getting lazy at this very crucial time.

Without question, the single biggest mistake car buyers make is failing to prepare. That, and setting your expectation that car buying and the negotiating process within can take at best several hours to accomplish. Know that you are going to be at the dealership for a while can help you stay energized and focused. Do your homework. Know your credit score. Get your financing pre-approved and see if the dealer can beat what you already have. Be familiar with all the areas of potential sales and profit that the dealer can potentially land. Know what extras (if any) you will and will not pay for. Make sure the contract in the F&I department reflects all the negotiations that you have worked to accomplish before hand. Then, finally, remain on your toes and don’t drop your guard once in the F&I department.

Jeff Neilan worked for many years in the automotive industry as a salesman,
finance manager, new and used car manager, and sales manager. With Jeff’s working knowledge of car dealerships you’ll find his articles on getting your best car deal insightful and rewarding when purchasing your next car. Visit (http://www.acarbuyersguide.com)for the complete car buying process.

Car Dealers have numerous ways to scam a potential buyer. Let’s continue examining a few of them so you know what to look out for when making your next car purchase:

6. The Dealer Mark up Scam
This is an unnecessary fee that the dealer charges for no reason other than greed. This fee can be seen on the orange sticker marked on the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP).

The additional dealer markup is nothing more than requiring more money for no real reason. They can include all kinds of extra fees in the additional dealer markup.

When you see an extra dealer mark up fee, ask the dealer to get rid of it. If they refuse, it is pretty much up to you, but remember that if you do pay the extra dealer markup, you are overpaying for no real reason.

7. The Payoff Your Loan Scam
This is when the dealer offers to pay off the balance of your current car loan no matter how much money you still owe. It is a common sales strategy.
When the average buyer hears it, they think that by purchasing a new car with a new dealership, they will automatically owe no more money on their current car.

That couldn’t be further from the truth.

What really happens is that the dealership does help you get out of your current contract; however, they normally are forgetting to tell you how high your fees are going to be for breaking the lease agreement with your old dealership.

You will now be responsible to pay fees that are in the thousands to make up for it.

You also will not be able to refinance for a new car until those fees are paid. Of course the dealership can add the cost on to your contract with them at a substantially higher rate.

The dealership only agrees to this deal because they want to get more money off of your current car. They aren’t really doing anything for you at all.
The dealership will also give you far less then the car is worth on the trade off. Basically this scam works because they will up your monthly fees, and then sell your trade in for a more money than its worth.

The dealership then extends your monthly payments so that they can make it appear that you are paying a small amount monthly when you don’t even realize that you have committed to an extra year of payments.

To avoid this scam, you have to bite the bullet and ride out your current lease till the end. If you are really determined to get a new car, then you should try selling your current car on your own.

Just sell it so that the buyer just takes over the lease payments.

8. The Used Car Sold “As Is” Scam
This is when a dealership will sell you a car that has been in a car wreck, but they will tell you that the car has been completely refurbished.

When you see the car it has a sticker on it that says “as is” on it and no warranty is included with your purchase.

This is the dealer’s way of telling you that you can’t bring the car back, you are assuming all risks for the car, and that it is not under warranty.

To avoid this scam, don’t buy a car without a warranty or one that says “as is” on it. By doing this, you might as well buy a car from a stranger on the street with the same deal.

9. The Bounced Check Scam
This is when you walk into a dealership with a bank draft and the dealership charges that they can’t accept your draft because your bank bounces checks often so they now refuse checks from that bank.

Of course, this leaves the table open for them to get the extra money they want by offering to sell you a car at a higher interest rate.

You can avoid this scam first by getting your drafts from Capital One Auto Finance.

Then let the finance manager know that you are aware of the scam that they are pulling and that Capital One Auto Finance is in the business of giving loans so the checks don’t bounce.

10. The Forced Credit Application
If you are hoping to pay for a car outright or in cash with a bank draft or check that is what you should do. Some dealerships will not let you.

You will hear one of these lines so that they can try and get you into paying monthly terms for more money.

“State laws require that you must fill out a credit application before I can sell you this car.”

“Everyone that buys a car from us fills out a credit application first.”

“It’s the company’s policy”.

If you hear any of these lies, then know what’s going on. When you are paying cash why would you think that you need to fill out a credit application?

It doesn’t make sense. No state will force you to apply for credit when paying cash.

Would you have to fill out a credit report if you want to buy a sofa or groceries while paying cash? See how silly this is. To avoid this scam, just laugh in their faces.

Mia LaCron is the founder of How-To-Buy-A-Car.info - http://www.how-to-buy-a-car.info - devoted to helping individuals buy the right car for them at the absoulute best possible prices.