How to Replace Rear Struts

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If you are looking to replace rear struts, it is important that you learn on how to do this correctly. In doing this, you will be able to change these struts without requiring a lot of help. This helps you in saving on a huge repair bill.

To begin with the procedure, loosen up the nuts on both of the rear wheels and then jack up the rear of the vehicle. You should then proceed on removing these from your vehicle. When you remove the wheels, you should make sure that it is supported so as to keep you safe as you are working.

The next thing that you need to do is to pop up the trunk of the vehicle so that you can find on the strut tower. Here, you will see three 15 mm nuts that you have to unbolt. Having unbolted these, move down and unbolt a 10 mm head bolt that is at the base of the strut. This secures the brake line bracket to the strut.

The next things that you should remove are the two 21mm head nuts that fasten the strut at the bottom. It is important to note that you need to use a hammer as to drive the bolt head out as it is held quite firmly.  When you remove these two bolt heads, you need to use some moderate force to ensure that you do remove the strut from the wheel pad. A lever might come in handy here. All that is remaining is to undo the top most part that and the strut should come out.

It is important that you have a brace that will help you in the removal of the spring from the strut mounting. It is important that before removing this, you mark the point that you started at so that you can return it in the same position when you mount the new strut.

Having removed the old strut, all that is required to be done is for you to do is to install the new strut and follow on the same procedure for the installation and assembly of the new strut.

How to Install Ford F150 Tail lights

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Like all vehicles on the street, the Ford F-150 has a tail light placed on each side of the rear of the car. If your F-150 has a broken tail light lens you may}pay a dealer to change it, or you can install your tail light yourself about few minutes.

Required Tools: 3/8 drive ratchet; 8mm socket.

Step one: lower the steel gate and locate two 8mm blots. Remove those two 8mm bolts in order to free the led tail light.

Step two: While moving the tail light, you should pull it outward away from vehicle. Go ahead and disconnect the light harness.

Step three: get a new Ford tail light, and then connect both light harness to the start harness. Next, install light socket.

Step four: properly set the tail light and install the two 8mm blots.

How to Replace A Car Air Filter for Lexus ES300

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It is important to know that the installation procedure that is shown in this is similar to other Lexus models such as the Lexus ES 330, GX 470 and the RS 330. This is quite a simple method that you too cat use to ensure that you do get clean air into the vehicle.

To change the air filter, you will start by opening the glove box. Upon doing this, unscrew the Philips head screw that is placed there fastening the dabender arm to the glove box. Upon removing this, allow the arm to retract inwards as it is controlled by hydraulics.

On the driver’s side, locate a stop peg that is placed there and turn it counterclockwise a quarter turn. This should be repeated for the other side. Upon doing this, the glove box lid should hang out revealing the air filter housing compartment. Remove the air filter by pulling on the frame that holds it backwards.

The next thing that you need to do is for you to remove the old filter from the frame. You should then insert the new filter into the frame and ensure that you follow on the flow direction as it should always face up.

While inserting this, ensure that you do clip the air filter into the pegs that are provided to hold it in. This should take a few minutes to do perfectly.

Creating a Custom Stitch Craft Vehicle Interior

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Are you looking to have your vehicle to be to be the coolest among its peers? There is no better way that you can do this than having a custom made vehicle interior. In having a custom made vehicle interior, you will be able to have the vehicle that you want and in the colors that you would like, and more importantly, in the materials that you would like to use.

To begin with, you need to take out the pieces that have made the stitching so that you can create a great cut out of the dimensions of material that you will need to use so that you have a great overall vehicle interior styling. The dimensions that you get will then be plotted into a computer that will help you in producing an overall great quality of work that will help in the presentation of a great vehicle interior.

In using a computerized cut template, you are guaranteed of getting an absolute exact match of the piece that you did have from the custom vehicle.

The templates that are plotted to the settings that you input into the computer so it is important that you make sure that you do an absolute great job in plotting in these. This will help you in having your custom stitches an absolute match to those that are in the original vehicle. Having cut out these, you should also choose on the material that you would like to use. In so doing, you will have a stunning vehicle interior that you will be stunned of. The best way you can do is to add some car parts which can embody yourself on your vehicle.

How to Install 2004-2008 Ford F150 Headlight

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Headlights are essential car safety components, since they’re important to inclement-weather and nighttime driving. It’s also technically unlawful to drive without headlights. Luckily, the Ford headlight assemblies on the whole fleet of Ford vehicles are very similar, thus these guides for 2004-2008 Ford F150 can be adopted for your Ford models.

Your first step is to remove the plastic Phillips clip securing the headlight truck. After doing so, you remove the three 10mm bolts securing the headlight.


Step two is to remove headlight and disconnect all the light sockets.


Then install the light sockets into the Spyder headlight. Set the headlight and re-install three 10mm bolts. Don’t forget to install the plastic phillips clip to secure the headlight.

Last step is to check your headlights, of course.

How to Install Toyota Tail Lights

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Installation of Toyota Tail Lights

Required Tools: 3/8 drive ratcht; 10mm socket; panel popper.

Step one: remove your trunk carpet.

Step two: remove 2 plastic clips securing the plastic truck and take plastic trim away from your car. Now you car remove 3 plastic clips securing the carpet truck liner.

Step three: pull trunk liner aside and use panel popper to remove three 10mm nuts. Then disconnect the tail light harness.

Step four: install a new tail light and tighten it with three 10mm nuts.

Step five: connect tail light harness. Then reinstall the carpet liner and three clips.

Step six: check your tail lights.

Top Five Ways to Maintain Your Car in Winter

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On a cold Monday morning in winter after a snowstorm, you get into your vehicle and are going to drive of­f to work. The engine’s a little bit sluggish today, but you do not pay attention to it to a stop sign before keeping driving — i­t generally is during the winter, but the aged heap’s never let you down, right? What could probably go wrong?

In this article, we lay out the top five tips for getting your car through the winter and staying safe out there during tough road conditions. For more details of how to maintain your car and car parts, please keep reading.

Tip One: Keep Emergency Kits Inside Your Car

Flashlights and flares are helpful if you’re stuck on the road late at night when visibility levels are low. Even if you’re wearing a coat, an extra pair of gloves, boots or even a blanket can keep you warm and dry if your heating unit isn’t working properly.

Tip Two: Ensure Your 4-Wheel Drive Works Properly

Remember, having a 4WD system doesn’t mean you can drive figure eights around icy parking lots or drive faster than you normally would in a regular car. 4WD can improve your SUV’s traction on snow and ice from a stationary position, but it doesn’t make your tires grip the pavement any better when you brake.

Tip Three: Check Your Vehicle’s Belts and Hoses

Cold temperatures can weaken belts and hoses, and if something snaps or breaks while you’re out on the road, a tow truck will be the only way to get moving again.

Tip Four: Check Your Oil and Oil Viscosity

our owner’s manual should tell you the ideal type of oil you should use, and it also might specifically suggest a thinner oil type depending on the season. Remember, most technicians recommend that you change your oil every 3,000 miles or once every three months.

Tip One: Check Your Car’s Battery

Car batteries last for about three to five years, so it’s best to keep track of how old yours is. If it’s time to get a new one, you can replace it in the fall when batteries typically go on sale. Winter months are tough on your engine and cause it to work harder, and this puts more pressure on the battery.

How to Use a Jack Stand on Your Car

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As a vehicle owner, one of the things that you are always after is comfort and safety while driving. It is therefore important that you outline on simple procedures that you can undertake to ensure that you achieve this. One of the most important car parts of the vehicle that ensure security and ultimately safety are the shock absorbers in the vehicle. It is therefore important that you learn on how to inspect, remove, to remove and to maintain the condition of your shock absorbers.

If you need to inspect on the shock absorbers, you will need to use the services of a jack which is a mechanical support device created for the function of supporting the weight of your vehicle. You need to know of the best location t install your jack stand so as to avoid placing excessive pressure on your vehicle and having it very high. If you are working on a small vehicle, you can opt to place the jack on the front suspension parts while working on the front suspension or the pinch wield of the vehicle.

If you are working on a larger vehicle, particularly trucks, slide your jack under the radius arm of the vehicle. The radius arm will be most unique to the Ford vehicle model and can be used to take in the pressure. To make the radius arm sit on the jack stand, you should release pressure from your hydraulic jack and this makes the radius arm of the vehicle to slowly sit on the jack stand that ought to be located under the radius arm.

You can also place your jack stand on the pinch wield of your vehicle but please note that you should always look out to avoid areas that are rusting on the pinch wield.

Top Five Vehicles will Gain Big Money at Barrett-Jackson

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Along with the Barrett-Jackson auction starting out in Scottssdale, Ariz., and working through the weekend, we asked Craig Barrett and company to tell us what cars are most likely to win the most interest. Now let’s take a look at this list together.

1. 1948 Tucker Torpedo

The 1948 Tucker sedan was an advanced automobile conceived by Preston Tucker and briefly produced in Chicago in 1948. Only 51 examples were made before the company folded on March 3, 1949. Studebaker was first with an all-new post-war model. But Tucker took a different tack, designing a safety car with innovative features and modern styling. His specifications called for a rear engine like Porsche, disc brakes, fuel injection and a padded dashboard. Of the 51 cars built (50 production and 1 prototype), 47 still exist, the majority in excellent condition.

2. DeSoto Adventurer II

One-off concept built by Ghia on a Chrysler Imperial chassis with a Hemi engine that was sold new to King Mohammed V of Morocco. Classified as one of the top ten concept cars ever constructed. An innovative feature that seems never to have been replicated was the sliding-into-the-trunk backlight, opening up the roof behind the seats, giving a draft-free open area and many of the advantages of a convertible with none of the inconveniences.

3. 1954 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing

This is one of only 146 that were built in 1954. This car was originally purchased by the late Willet H. Brown/Hillcrest Motors Collection, at Hollywood Mercedes. With only 4,149 original miles this Gullwing is one of the lowest mileage Gullwing’s in existence. It comes with its original tools, manual, service book and registration card from 1962-1965. Having been repainted once, in its original color, everything else on the car is all original.

4. 1949 Delahaye 135 MS prototype

This 135 MS prototype came to life as a factory demo to promote the concessionaires, exporters and shippers for Delahaye in Great Britain. Built on a Delahaye chassis with an inline 6 cylinder 3.5-litre engine with Cotal semi-automatic transmission.

5. 1932 Ford Custom Roadster, the “Boydster II”

Designed by Chip Foose, the “Boydster II” won an award as America’s Most Beautiful Roadster in 2003 and was a finalist for the Detroit Autorama Great 8. It has a handmade steel exterior styling.

Guide to Installing Hood Struts on a Toyota Camry

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If you have been working on your car engine or other part that will require the hood to be up, there are times that you realize that the hood cannot stay up on its own. In this, you realize that you have to use a broom or even a pole to ensure that you keep your vehicle hood open. Upon realizing this, you should note that it is time to change your hood struts. Changing the hood struts is a simple procedure that you can incorporate yourself to ensure that you do have a great overall result.

To change the hood struts if the Toyota Camry, you need a 12mm and a 13mm wrench. All that you will need to do so that you can change on the gas struts that help keep the hood open is to use a 12mm combination spanner that will allow you in changing loosening up the bolts that hold down the gas struts that hold tit to the hood cover. While undoing these bolts, do ensure that you have a broom or a pole that is supporting the hood so that it does not fall on you as you work.

Most of the replacements that are there come in a 13 mm bolt. You should therefore fasten this using the 13 mm wrench. On the lower side of the hood strut that is attached hear the shock absorber, ensure that you do use the 12 mm bolt that was there as most replacements do not come with this attached. With this done, you can remove the broom for support as the new hood strut is ready to perform its function. You should also use the same procedure to change over to the other side and this will make your hood stand upright and on its own.