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Recent market research shows that many people who don’t use a garage spend around 10 minutes de-icing their cars on cold winter mornings -ten minutes that could be better spent in bed!

The weight of snow can bend or break wipers and pouring hot water over the glass can crack your windscreen, not forgetting the icy pavements left behind that can lead to accidents.

Why not take the bite out of winter and protect your car in a new garages that can cost only a little more than the

Many times car wash fundraisers appear to be organized but since the volunteers running them have little if any experience they are chaotic at best. Organizational nightmares from the get go. It does not have to be this way if you properly plan your layout, signage and traffic flows to prevent unorganized disasters resulting in lost business and unhappy customers. Follow along with me as I discuss how to properly set up and run a car wash fundraising event and explain the preferred Car Wash Fundraiser Layout, Traffic Flow and Signage to insure the greatest success at your event.

SET UP

You should call all important people in your group the night before your event. Make sure that you will have all necessary supplies, parent supervision and signage. Have everyone meet twenty minutes before the start time. Have your washer show up five minutes prior to washing. If you think you are going to have a lot of cars then try to find an area large enough for two rows of cars to go through at one time. That should be your wash area. Make sure your hoses reach. Try to get your hose to go all the way around both sets of cars. When things get busy you will be glad you set it up this way. You should have a drying area set up no less than three car lengths from your washing area. This way if someone gets picky with the drying and slows you down, they won’t hold up your washing area. If the washing area slows down, your line will get longer and people will just drive by and not stop in. It’s very important to pick a game plan, layout and traffic flow before you start. If cars start pulling in the wrong way or you try to change what you’re doing mid-stream, you have total chaos and you lose ten to fifteen minutes sorting things out.

LAYOUT

Your layout is ultra important and inevitably determines how many cars you can wash. If you’ve done your marketing correctly, have a good location and sold tickets/pledges, you will have unlimited cars to wash. Now you must wash them efficiently. Remember, the more cars you wash, the more money you will make for your group. Your layout will change from location to location.

TRAFFIC FLOWS

The single most important item in the operations side of your fundraiser is to keep the cars moving. Don’t let the line go out onto the street. It will cause an accident or the local police will tell you to move the cars or stop your fundraiser. It’s much better if the police officer stops for a donut at your bake sale or a hot dog at the booth. The easiest way not to get backed up is to move cars through at a steady pace. Fast enough to do a quality job but not too fast to lose tip money. Don’t let your supervisors start long in depth conversations with customers when there are cars in line. If cars start backing rapidly in the entrance area or start of your car wash, then form two lines. If your dryers start backing up, move them further from the wash area and allocate additional dryers, one at a time, until the problem stops. If people in the cars are hanging around after their wash, tell them to park off to the side or out of the way of the car wash proceedings.

SIGNAGE

Your signs should be poster board size, bright colors and hand written in bold black ink. The letters should be wide. Use very few words. The words should be able to be read from twenty to thirty yards away while driving in a car moving at twenty-five to thirty-five miles an hour. You should have CAR WASH in big letters and a positive word such as: Great, Big, Low Price, Wow, Cool and Best. You will need between eight and ten signs strategically placed around the intersection and a couple down the streets with the highest traffic that lead directly to your car wash fundraiser site, perhaps one-half mile or so away. Make three to four signs half size and use those as hand sign held up by kids on the street corners.

Follow these simple suggestions and prevent chaos from ruining your perfectly planned car wash fundraiser this season. Think on this for me.

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

Many people get taken advantage of when they go to buy a new car, truck or SUV. This can be avoided by taking some simple precautions and being prepared ahead of time. Take a look at these suggestions and commit them to memory so that you don’t get taken to the cleaners on your next automotive purchase.

First off, do you research and don’t go into a dealership half cocked with little knowledge. You want to be armed with the cost of the vehicle you are interested in, the value of your vehicle if you are trading it, financing terms and interest rates, and be on guard against sales tactics. Never buy a car impulsively, think it over.

The internet had millions of pages of research and content available about vehicles, financing, and anything else you may care to know about the car buying process. There is absolutely no reason for anyone not to take the time to get the information they need to be able to have a positive car buying experience.

The best way by far to deal with financing your vehicle purchase is to get pre-approved by your personal bank or credit union. This will give you a position of power to negotiate from. When you go into the dealership you are now basically walking in with cash and the ability to do business immediately should you so desire. Another thing it gives you is the ability to play the lenders against each other to get a better rate. Many times the dealer may offer you a better rate by as much as two percent just because of the volume of business they do.

Remember this sentence is you remember nothing else, “The salesperson is not your friend”. They will try to make you think they are on your side, they are trained to do that. It is all part of the psychology. Don’t buy into it, they are paid a commission based on the profit of the vehicle in most cases, so the more you pay for the car, the more they make.

Many times there are bonuses on particular vehicles as well. You may go to a dealership on a Saturday morning and see three salespeople trying to sell the exact same car. The reason, unknown to the potential buyer is probably because the sales manager has offered a $500 bonus for selling that particular car. If a salesman is trying to push you on a particular car, beware, there is a reason the car hasn’t sold and for the dealer to offer a bonus to get rid of it.

Gregg Hall is an author and internet marketing consultant living in Navarre Florida. Find more articles about cars and car care products at http://www.5starshine.com

You may have heard rumors that it’s possible to get paid to drive your car, or in some cases, get a car to use for free. While participation is limited and luck is needed along with living in the right place for a particular campaign, it is possible to get paid to have your car (or a car given to you) turned into a moving advertisement. If you drive 800 miles or more a month along heavily populated routes in your normal driving habits, you may want to check out the companies that offer car wraps.

The concept is fairly simple. Advertising space on billboards along busy roads and highways is limited and in some places not allowed at all. It’s possible, however, to reach many of those people another way. Companies advertise on the outside of cars to reach those same people. The problem is that purchasing an entire fleet of cars for an advertising campaign can be overly expensive, so a solution was developed.

Instead of purchasing their own cars, companies will sometimes “rent” space on individual private citizen’s cars. In return for letting a company “wrap” your car with their advertisement, they will pay you a monthly fee. The fees can be as high as $400 a month for a full car wrap and lesser amounts for a partial car wrap or a window wrap.

Another option that some of these companies offer in place of car wraps is giving you a free car with advertisements already on it. You usually don’t get paid in this deal or get to choose the type of car provided, but you do receive free use of the car for the period of the campaign. Your only costs are gas and insurance meaning that you are getting transportation at a fraction of the cost of owning your own car. There are some rare cases when you can get paid when receiving a free car. Some companies will pay you to drive the free cars along certain, specified routes each day.

So what is the catch? The main one is there are far more drivers wanting the positions than advertising campaigns available. If you don’t drive a lot of miles or live in a highly populated area (large college campuses seem to be an ideal location) where the advertisement will be seen by a population the advertisers crave, your chances of being chosen are slim. Most companies require you to drive a minimum of 800 miles a month. Not driving enough miles can negate the contract and most companies utilize global positioning systems (GPS) in your car to track the miles and places you go each month.

Most programs require you to be 18 years of age, have a clean driving record and your own auto insurance. Traffic violations will in most cases prohibit you from being considered. Contracts vary in length and amount paid depending on the type of advertising in the campaign involved. Most companies don’t let you pick the advertiser, but will let you bow out if the advertiser goes against your moral values (cigarettes, alcohol and sex).

With the concept there are a growing number of websites that don’t actually offer the service of car wrapping, but claim to be a data base for advertisers to find people willing to advertise on their cars. Many offer free sign up, but then encourage you to purchase a “premium package” that is supposed to move your name higher up on the list. The fact is that you are very unlikely to be picked from these services so it isn’t worth the time (and definitely not the money) signing up with them.

While the chances of being picked are slim, they are better than playing the lottery. If you meet the requirements and live in an area you believe would be desirable to advertisers, it could be worth the 15 to 30 minutes it takes to fill out the online forms. If you are lucky and do get picked, you will significantly reduce your driving expenses with little effort on your part.

Jeffrey Strain has published hundreds of money saving articles. You can read more about auto wraps at http://www.paidtodriveautowrap.com

We will start with the definition of caravan. A caravan is a group of travelers or merchants banded together and organized for joint support and protection while traveling through unsettled or unfriendly country. Caravan trade, however, is associated with the history of the Middle East as far back as the records of ancient civilizations extend. The caravan trade was very well developed before the idea of sea commerce was ever considered.

The history of the caravan trades people has shown how well organized these groups of people were. The caravans crossed great distances across the unsettled desert trails, with little or no protection from the local governments.

The main modes of transportation were camels throughout the Arabian Peninsula. Camels could withstand the desert heat, and go numerous days without water,

The caravans were fundamental for the trade industry to prosper. The caravans worked under the regulation of the Arabian Empire. The Empire controlled their routes and tried to afford them some protection.

After the introduction of the motor truck and the airplane, the hardship of crossing the desert on foot or on came, has evolved to driving the truck to the marketplace to sell your goods. This is evident when you go to the flea markets of today, there are numerous vendors (what could have been called merchant caravans in middle east history) that travel from town to town bringing there goods to sell, trade or barter.

Webster’s dictionary defines caravan as: “a company of travelers on a journey through desert or hostile regions”, “a group of vehicles traveling together in a file”, and “a covered wagon or motor vehicle equipped as traveling living quarters”. As you can see by this definition, the term caravan has evolved into the 21st century. Just look around and you will see motor home caravans, semi-truck caravans, motorcycle caravans, all of these groups are traveling from one destination to another.

So hop in your Dodge Caravan and go for a ride. How much merchandise can you fit into it? Gather up some friends that have a Dodge Caravan and you could be caravan (a group of travelers on a journey).

For more information, visit http://www.CaravanInfoCenter.com

What would happen if we put sensors above the steering wheel of every car, which would sense alcohol on your breath and know from the contents of the air if you were near or over the legal limit? What if such a system existed and would simply be connected to another sensor, which disabled the ignition and thus the car would not start at all? Would this cut down on the 42,000 per year deaths on the road in the United States? After all this is how many people die each year in automobiles, not all are from Drunk Drivers, but the number of drunk driving related deaths is rather large. How many people per year could we honestly save with such a system?

Well we would immediately save some 10,000 people per year, but at the same time raise the prices of cars some $300 meaning some people could not afford the cars that they would need to get to work. TRW and the Carlyle group would like it however as they are involved in the making of airbags and such automobile type devices. Additionally you might tell the anti-war protestors that well, we lost 2500 liberating a whole country, Iraq, but we will now save 10,000 every year now from drunk driving auto accidents.

Perhaps we ought to talk with the auto industry and see if they can make these devices or sensors for under $200 and then if so, mount the sensor on the steering column? I mean saving 10,000 to 15,000 people per year is 100,000 per decade? That would be far more than we have lost in all the wars since WWII? So, although the idea is kind of Big Brother’ish in scope, it would save lives and well, it is a thought? So, 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/

The holiday shopping season is here, and while you’re bumping arms with other shoppers while reaching for the perfect gift, your car may be getting a few bumps of its own out in the parking lot.

Nicks, dings and scratches are common casualties to cars caused primarily in parking lots; beyond just looking unsightly, when it comes time to sell your vehicle or trade it in, those “little” nicks and dings can significantly reduce the value. The good news is, with just a little foresight on your part, they can largely be avoided.

Parking lots are actually quite risky, and for more than just the little dings. “People know to be concerned about safety on highways and neighborhood streets, but they forget to be on alert in parking lots,” said Bella Dinh-Zarr, Ph.D., AAA’s Director of Traffic Safety Policy. “Crashes happen frequently in parking lots and have the potential to be quite dangerous, particularly for pedestrians.”

They can be so risky, in fact, that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that 20 percent of all collisions resulting in damage claims occur in parking lots. To prevent the crashes, bumps, thuds, nicks and dings, follow these top ten parking lot driving tactics:

1. Don’t park too close to the shopping cart bin. Though you may be tempted (after all, then only one car can park next to you), don’t give in. Many people launch shopping carts at the bin with one hand behind their back, without stopping to look where the cart ends up (or what it ricochets off of). Also, if it’s windy, carts can easily blow out of the bin and into your car.
2. If the spot’s small, keep going. You know the spot. It’s the first in the lane or the closest one by half a block. You hesitate for a moment, then forge ahead, determined to wedge your car into it, no matter how tight a squeeze. This is a surefire way for your car to get bruised as the people parked next to you try to squeeze into their cars. You’ll probably get a few bruises yourself when you try squeezing in and out. Remember, just because you can fit “in the yellow lines” doesn’t mean you should take the spot.
3. Park as far out as (safely) possible. As long as it’s safe to do so, parking at the far end of the parking lot means lighter traffic, less congestion and lower risk of collision. Plus, a little extra walking could do most all of us some good, particularly during the holidays when you’ll be sipping cocoa and savoring sweets more often than usual.
4. Use side entrances. The main entryways of stores are the most crowded. Look for doors on the sides of the building; there will be fewer cars in the parking lot and more accessible parking spaces.
5. Look behind you. When backing out of a parking spot, we’re used to looking left and right, but don’t forget to look directly behind you. A vehicle across the way may be backing out at the same time, or shoppers may be rushing by.
6. Don’t get sandwiched. Going back to the tight spot, avoid parking between two large SUVs, truck or minivans. If you are driving a large car, the space will be too tight. If you are driving a small car, you won’t be able to see around the other vehicles while you’re backing out.
7. Use your headlights. Studies show that having your headlights on–even during the day–reduces your risk of a collision. And in certain regions, during the holidays many days are gray and cloudy, so turning on your lights will make your car easier to see for other drivers.
8. Head to the top. If you’re in a parking garage, many cars will be circling, looking for the “premium” close spots. You can avoid this frustration, and reduce your risk of collision, by simply heading directly to the top floors. There’s likely to be much more space and less traffic, so even if you end up walking a bit farther, you’ll be able to park quickly and safely.
9. Slow down and be choosy. If you’re finding that the holidays have you trying to travel at the speed of light, slow down; avoid risky driving just to get to a parking spot first. Just as with your shopping, you should be choosy about where you park: Is there enough space between your vehicle and the ones nearby? Could shopping carts or other debris blow into your vehicle? Is it well-lit and safe? Will you be able to back out of the spot without difficulty? “In general, don’t allow the holiday rush to affect your driving, drive slowly, use your turn signal, park in safe areas and practice defensive driving skills at all times,” said Sebastian Giordano, chief operating officer of the Top Driver driver education company. “By anticipating the actions of other drivers and pedestrians, you may avoid senseless accidents.”
10. Take public transportation … or walk. By far, the best way to ensure that your car remains dent- and fender-bender-free is to not drive it at all! If it’s available in your area, public transportation is a great choice. If you can, walking is the best choice, as you will also get excersie. Alternatively, some larger shopping areas offer shuttles between stores. This way, you can park your car in an outlying (safe) area, then shuttle between stores without having to worry about finding another parking spot.

This article was provided by the world’s #1 most popular and trusted holistic living e-newsletter — FREE to you right now at http://www.SixWise.com! The old way of thinking: “holistic living” pertains only to personal health. The new way of thinking: “holistic living” means prevention of the negative and adherence to the positive in all SIX practical areas of life: relationships, finances, career, home environment, safety and health. With the SixWise.com e-newsletter, you will get holistic wisdom from the world’s top experts in all six of these areas — completely FREE with a simple sign-up (and a guaranteed no-spam policy!) at http://www.SixWise.com

Carburetors are the part of an automobile that converts liquid fuel into vapor. This vapor then mixes with air, thereby causing combustion in the cylinder. Thus, any vehicle that runs on gasoline has carburetors. This even includes boats and light aircrafts.

Wholesalers and dealers of automobiles generally buy factory direct carburetors. Factory direct carburetors are available at a very cheap price. This means that people who buy factory direct carburetors can sell them with hefty margins.

People who want only one unit also seek factory direct carburetors. This is because such carburetors are considerably cheaper than those bought from a local automobile dealer. Apart from this factor, there also remains the fact that one is assured of the genuine quality when one buys factory direct carburetors. In an age where a lot of automobile parts are duplicated and sold on the market as originals, factory direct carburetors can be a godsend for someone looking for the same for his or her vehicle.

One of the most difficult aspects of getting factory direct carburetors is locating the place where one can buy them. However, with the Internet, this job has been made much easier. One can easily log on to the Internet and find out about places where factory direct carburetors are sold. One even has the option of negotiating with the people who are selling factory direct carburetors to get the best price possible.

However, the most important thing to remember is to check out the authenticity of the person or company selling the factory direct carburetors. Often, it turns out that the so-called factory direct carburetor is actually a duplicate part that will not last long.

Hence, when one goes to any factory direct carburetors dealers, one should never forget to check out their ‘About us’ page on the website. This will give the interested party a good idea of the authenticity of the individual or party selling the factory direct carburetors.

Carburetors provides detailed information on Carburetors, Carburetor Kits, Rebuilt Carburetors, Carburetor Parts and more. Carburetors is affiliated with Wheel Bearings.

It is not surprising to know that consumers are watched especially when they do the grocery shopping. However, what is amazing is that even car makers are studying and observing their customers’ and patrons’ habits and likes when it comes to automobiles.

Most car manufacturers are doing this so as to gauge what people are thinking, and what people want. Of course, they would want to get the scoop on what would be the upcoming trends when it comes to vehicles and automobiles and so much so that they could find a way to produce and create a vehicle that would suit their target market’s needs and wants. However, not all people are comfortable with the idea that they are being watched and scrutinized, especially when it comes to other people learning about their ways and their lifestyles.

When it comes to new models and makes that are already on the market, vehicle manufacturers are still studying the market. They try to find out who are buying the product. They also do try to find out other pieces of information about their market’s lives like their socio-demographic profile. Auto manufacturers claim that this is all part of their studies and that the more information they know, the more likely it is that they would be able to create valuable vehicles to catch their market’s fancy. In-depth information about the car buyers market also gives auto manufacturers an edge when it comes to creating the right kind of commercials and advertisements for their valuable products.

Other forms of getting their market’s information is through surveys that most consumers and patrons could find splattered on the Internet. They would ask about things like what kind of vehicles do they prefer and ask other specific buying intention questions. They also do try to track how much of the market are planning on acquiring a new vehicle in the next six months. Auto manufacturers do try to create trends and follow trends so as to create products that fit for their target consumers.

As auto manufacturers try to keep track about the things that their customers want, Mazda Parts and Mazda Auto Parts also maintains its lead when producing excellent and impressive Mazda B18 Pickup parts and other Mazda parts. The kind of products that Mazda Parts and Mazda Auto Parts offer have been crafted so as to suit the products that Mazda offers the market.

Margaret Adams is the present manager of the largest auto manufacturing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This 35 year old maiden is a certified car enthusiast.

What is the safest, a forward or rear facing child safety seat? Everyone has a different answer on this and many states have different laws governing the age, weight or size of the child or infant in question. By looking at and interpreting car accident reports and data it is an obvious finding that the severity of accidents were reportedly lower when a rear facing child safety seat was used properly.

It is important to say when used properly here as data from fire department personnel through the years shows upwards of 50% of child safety seats are not properly installed. This could be as simple as the belt tensioner not being pulled tight enough, but there have been instances where the child was sitting on top of the restraints (the restraints were only protecting the seat in this instance and not the child). The latest most famous instance of abuse of child safety seat laws is Britney Spears driving with her child in her lap. There is a lot of literature available on how to properly install and adjust a child safety seat, but more needs to be done to reduce unnecessary injuries due to improperly installed child safety seats.

Even though any child safety seat is better than none, a rear facing seat is especially important for babies and small children as they can face the highest risks of paralysis and permanent injury. Babies and small children are at risk for more severe spinal cord and brain and neck injuries as their muscles are weaker and their head weighs significantly more in proportion to the rest of their body. This increases the extent and severity of whiplash injuries. According to the National Institute for Highway Safety:

Rear-facing car seats spread frontal crash forces over the whole area of the babys back, head and neck; they also prevent the head from snapping relative to the body in a frontal crash.

So, it is obvious that we should use a rear facing child safety seat for as long as feasible and as required by our state and federal driving laws. It is important to note that regardless of the child safety seat used, not all injuries can be prevented. Unfortunately some crashes are unavoidable and unsurvivable. Still, we can do much to increase our chances of survival for our children by properly installing the child safety seats. It is a good idea to stop by your local fire department and have them look at your child safety seats. They are trained to know exactly what is and is not safe in these safety seats and its free. Besides, kids love firemen and fire engines, they will have fun and you will feel better about their safety.

David Maillie specializes in automotive safety products and information. He holds numerous patents and awards for his patented headlight cleaner and restorer. For more information, tips, safety and money saving products for your auto please visit http://www.mdwholesale.com