Firstly, I'm not one of those people who likes to clean or cleans when they're preoccupied (which is a shame really considering how often I am). Cleaning is just this recurring task that you never really get to cross off your list.
With my car it felt different though, perhaps because I know it'll likely be a long time before I do this again. It's not perfect- I didn't vacuum although it could use it and I didn't get to the back seat at all. Today was just wiping down the inside of the windshield, the dash, and all the other plastic-y surfaces within reach of the driver's seat. I'd forgotten I have an ashtray - obscured as it is by the drink holder thing I always leave open - and marveled at the fact I'd never wiped out the last vestiges of ash from my car's previous life as a rental.
I thought of when my car was broken into and how I was now wiping the front clean of all prints. Maybe it was more satisfying because it was so much easier than scrubbing the tiles clean in my bathroom. Anyway, my car has a Windex-y smell to it. Those Windex moistened towelettes are pretty handy for car cleaning.
Also, I checked my tire pressure, clearly long overdue because they were all running equally low. Filled 'em all up, including the spare which was lowest of all. I was hoping this would abate the loud road noise I'm hearing when I drive, but it didn't seem to have much effect. It might be all in my head. I hadn't really noticed it until my parents each mentioned it separately, and it's true that their car does run quieter than my model. It's just hard trying to remember how it sounded a few years ago for comparison. blarg.
Must remember to ask dad about tire/rim relationship to see if how mine look is ok. Maybe they just need to be balanced.
Anyway, my PSIs are correct, my tank is full, and my dash is free of grunge, so I'm feeling all right. Don't forget to check your spare tire!
One year ago at TTaT: Old Age and Permanent Ways
tags: cars, cleaning, checking+tire+pressure
Oh, damn, I have not cleaned my car in ages. Not that it is messy or anything, but it sure needs a good run through the car wash, and some interior cleaning.
ReplyDeleteI do not know how to check my tire pressure for the life of me.
To check tire pressure, you need a tire pressure gauge. The air pumps at gas stations typically have them built in. There are a lot of different types of gauges, but with all of them you place them over the tire's air valve, press in, read the number and then pull it off. My gauge reads in PSI (pounds per square inch) and I think kPA (which must be the metric version). Your car's manual should tell you what PSI your tires should be at. Sometimes this info is also printed on a label inside the glove compartment, or in the door frame, or on the tire itself.
ReplyDeleteIf your tires have too much air, just press the gauge in part way to open the air valve (you'll hear air releasing) until it's the correct pressure. If they are flat, add air until they're full to the appropriate pressure.
Good point, about the spare. I bought a full spare right before taking a cross-country trip back in 2001. I bet it's kinda flat now sitting there in the trunk.
ReplyDeleteWe don't use spares anymore. There's a sprayfoam-kind-of-thing that, when squeezed into the flat tyre [yes, that's how it's spelled ;) ] through the valve, expands and sets somehow, and voilá, your tyre's as good as new!
ReplyDeleteIt works. We've got two of them now...
Scholiast: I have a can or 2 of TireJack which is similar I think. I'm not sure if it's foam, but I have heard that it ruins your tire in the long run so you end up needing a new one rather than just being able to plug the old one.
ReplyDeleteStill...in dire straits, it's worth having. The only time I actually had to change a tire (dad came out to help when I was driving home from a high school dance), I never would've been able to get the lug nuts off. He was literally jumping on the tire iron to get them to loosen. So though I know how to change a tire, I recognize that if the lug nuts have been tightened by those pneumatic things mechanics use, I might not be able to get them off.
With your spray foam, are you able to just leave your tire as is after you've used it? That'd be pretty cool.