Turtle Wax 53409 Hybrid Ceramic Coating – WIN!

If you have been to my site before you know that I’m a DIY type of guy and that includes taking care of my cars. I have been hand washing and waxing my cars since I was 17 years old. Car care technology has changed over the last 30 years and I’m always looking for the next big thing to try on my vehicle. Lately there has been lots of talk about Ceramic Coating your car for the ultimate shine and protection.

I did a ton of research into different types of Ceramic Coatings and most of them have proven to be very expensive, and they come in small bottles so you could possibly need two to complete your car. Also, if you put too much on your paint could develop high spots and it could wind up worse than when you started.

Turtle wax 53409 hybrid solutions ceramic coating

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2014 Dodge Charger Dead 12V Auxiliary Power Outlet

We all rely on the 12 volt auxiliary power outlet (formerly know as the cigarette lighter) in our cars. They charge our phones, power our GPS, run our kids video games. When the power goes out it can really be frustrating. Most of the time these auxiliary power outlets are easy to fix and get back into service quickly and easily.

Sometimes its as simple as a fuse

The car auxiliary power outlet was designed  in the early 1900’s for  lighting cigarettes in automobiles and though we have a profound new view on smoking the outlet itself has not changed much since then. The shape of tFusehe outlet opens itself up to issues simply because small metal objects can become lodged in the socket causing short circuits.  In all honesty, there have been quite a few times I  had a penny fall into the auxiliary power outlet and caused a blown fuse.

In the case of my 2014 Dodge Charger I’m not exactly what caused the fuse to blow, but its a simple fix none the less.

Parts you will need

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BlueDriver is the best weekend mechanic scan tool for your car!

If you have read my blog before you would know that I’m a DIY kind of guy. I love to fix anything and everything including my own cars. Since the mid 90’s car computers and systems have become increasingly complex. Though it would be quite simple for most modern cars to display any errors and trouble codes on their numerous screens, the manufactures still love to light the check engine light! This is where the BlueDriver comes into play. The BlueDriver can help you scan your cars computer and not only read the trouble codes, but it also suggests common fixes for your issue.

A little history – Why the BlueDriver exists(or scan tools in general)

In the 1990’s the world was becoming more aware to the global warming crisis and how automobiles were contributing to the problem. Governments were trying to help by passing more stringent emissions standards. The problem was how could we insure the new emissions systems were properly working? The solution came in 1996 with the ODBII system On-Bard Diagnostic System 2.   Prior to 1996 there were other more rudimentary systems, but ODBII was the standard for them all and still the standard today.

When an emissions fault was detected by the ODBII system it would light the MIL (Malfunction Indicator Lamp) also know as the check engine light. You would then take the car to your local dealer and they would use a scan tool to pull the error code to diagnose the malfunction. At first in the 90’s all cars had the same codes to diagnose emission issues, however as time went on manufactures started to add manufacture specific codes which required a manufacture specific scan tool.

The ODBII system grew into a robust diagnostic system that could not only report on your emission system, but also provide a wealth of information from live real time engine data to errors in baking systems, cooling systems, electrical issues, and so much more. Continue reading “BlueDriver is the best weekend mechanic scan tool for your car!”