Auto Body Paint Services

Having your car painted is a process. It is important to find a good servicing company that will take care of your vehicle completely and compassionately. Finding a professional service with employees who are trained and skilled at their job is important when finding a company to paint your car. It is not as easy as you think. There are many factors to consider when finding your car repair company to paint your car.

Things to consider are paint quality. Some companies do not use the best paint. That is partly why it does not cost that much. The paint will not last as long as it could if it was a good paint and applied properly. It must be sanded well and completely dry. They should then tape off all the glass, mirrors, lights, grill and tires perfectly to not get the paint on the glass and chrome surfaces. They should then put an even layer of all the paintings on the car because if they do not they can get sagging in the paint. That is when the paint falls and looks like it's dripping even when it's dry. It is flat, but you can tell that it was dripping with the way it looks. It should be treated properly and thoroughly to not get mush spots or nicks in the paint.

Professional auto body services will know what to do when you need a partial paint. If you have had an accident and only the front end has been damaged, you will need parts to fit and may need to have them painted if they're not already the right color. To do that you can hire a service that will have enough knowledge and experience to pick the right color paint that will match the rest of your car. They often times have a swatch book with paint colors and the ability to mix it to best match your car.

Your auto body service should be able to get your car in and out quickly so you can have it back in a timely fashion. If they can not sometimes they offer rental car services for you to use while they're at work. You should get your car back the way you want it but if for any reason you are dissatisfied with the service you can tell them what you do not like or what is still wrong and they will be happy to correct their mistake for you.

Chinatown Bus Lines are a Budget Traveler's Dream

A Guide to the Chinatown Bus

The word is out - the cheapest way to get from one major US city to another is on the "Chinatown bus". In recent years this has become transportation option of choice for budget travelers in New York, Washington DC, and Boston, and more recently on the West Coast. Students, backpackers, and an array of other savvy travelers have long loved the rock bottom prices that these bus companies offer. Despite the popularity of these bus lines it can still be difficult to find information on Chinatown bus service.
What exactly is a "Chinatown Bus"? Read on and you will have the inside track on this great budget travel option.

Chinatown Bus history

The Chinatown bus phenomenon began in the late 1990s when an entrepreneur in New York's Chinatown started running daily bus service from Chinatown in New York to Chinatown in Boston. The service was aimed at Asian immigrants who wanted to shop or visit relatives in either city and needed cheap and convenient transportation. The service was bare bones - no advertising, customer service, or bus stations. Customers simply went to the bus stop, waited for the bus (or van), and paid the driver upon boarding. For those willing to do without frills, they offered the same service as traditional bus companies at a substantially lower price. Before long, the word spread and all kinds of people started using the service. It became especially popular with students, budget travelers, or people for what the service was simply more convenient.

Soon more bus companies duplicated this model and started offering service in other cities. Now you can find this type of bus service in Philadelphia, Virginia, Baltimore Washington DC, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Francisco. At this point the term "Chinatown bus" is used more loosely to describe this sort of low-cost / low-frills service. Many, if not most, of the companies do not have Chinatown as their main location and may not cater to the immigrant population at all. These operators are also sometimes referred to as "curbside" operators.

How can tickets be so cheap?

$ 15 between New York to Boston? $ 25 from Las Vegas to Los Angeles? It seems hard to fathom. Chinatown bus companies are able to keep prices low because they operate in a fundamentally different way from traditional carriers. Foremost, the service is very basic. There is little in the way of customer service or amenities. Most of these operators do not have formal stations, picking up passengers at bus stops instead. They eschew traditional advertising in favor of word of mouth. Further, many of the operators play a very hands-on role in the operation - you will not see idle executables at a small independent bus company. Finally, these operators make sure they fill their buses. That is why Chinatown bus operators usually only operate on heavily trafficked routes. Indeed some companies only run buses at peak times.

Are they safe?

When these companies first started operating, concerns were raised about safety standards. There is still controversy within the bus industry about whether these newcomers are complying with the same regulations as the traditional companies. However, a task force set up by the Federal government to look at safety issues found that Chinatown bus companies did not perform better or worse than other types of bus companies (ie. Charter, tour buses). All bus companies operating in the US must undergo the same inspection standards and must comply with the same rules. Realistically there is probably a range of quality among Chinatown bus carriers. Some are fly-by-night operators trying to make a fast buck, while others are legitimate entrepreneurs who plan to grow and operate a long term business.

What you should expect

• No frills service - the driver may be the ticket collector; there will not be a lot of customer service.
• Comfortable buses. Since the low fares buses are usually quite nice. Most buses are comparable to Greyhound and many are actually more deluxe.
• Communication challenges. Drivers are legally required to speak enough English to help passengers in the case of emergency. In reality this is often adhered to rather loosely. At the very least, expect your driver to have an accent.
• Possible delays. Many of these bus routes are on highly congested roads. When the roads are busy, expect delays.
• Rest stops. Buses will have a lavatory on board but there is usually a 10 or 15 minute bathroom break on trips over 4 hours. Do not be late returning to the bus, the driver will not count heads before leaving at the appointed time.
• Full buses. Buses definitely sell out at peak times (weekends and evenings). Book ahead or get there early if you want secure a seat.
• Plastic Bags. An odd little quirk on Chinatown buses is that every aisle seat usually has a plastic grocery bag tied to the arm. I guess they find this is the best way to keep the buses clean.

How do I find the Chinatown Bus?

Again, "Chinatown bus" is a term used to describe a type of operator and not an individual bus company. Many unlisted bus companies fall into this category. Since most Chinatown buses do not spend money on advertising it can be difficult to find out details about schedules and bus stop locations. Many of the carriers are becoming savvier about the Internet and quite a few have websites with information. Usually an Internet search will yield links to bus service to your destination. There are also several directories, such as chinatown-bus.org that include links for most Chinatown bus companies and the author's employer, GotoBus.com, is a centralized booking site that has schedules and sells tickets online for most Chinatown bus companies.

The Chinatown bus is not for everyone. If you want an order system with American style customer service, you should probably stick to traditional carriers. However, if you know what to expect and come prepared with a sense of adventure and humor, you should enjoy the trip just fine. You will also enjoy the money you save!

Torque Converter Lockup

Although the torque converter clutch is not part of the engine, it can make the car feel like the engine has a problem. The torque converter clutch is also known as a lock up converter. The lockup clutch has many purposes and is part of the transmission. A regular converter in an automatic transmission is made to slip at idle so that the car does not move. As the accelerator is pressed the RPM's raise and the torque converter will start to lockup or engage. When the converter engages the car will move.

Even though the torque converter is engaged it never completely engages the way a manual transmission car clutch will. It will always slip a little, which is not very efficient. This is why a manual transmission car gets better gas mileage and has more power than an automatic transmission car. To increase power and mainly fuel mileage, a TCC is added to an automatic transmission.

The torque converter clutch is an electronic clutch that will engage the engine and drivetrain 100 percent. The TCC is made to engage usually only in the top gear when the car is cruising, not accelerating. The lock up converter will disengage when the accelerator is pressed hard enough. Over time the clutch will wear out especially if the vehicle ever tended anything and was operated in overdrive (top gear). This will wear the clutch out prematurely. If you have a tachometer you will see the RPM's drop a few hundred when it engages.

If the TCC is bad one of three things will usually happen. First, the vehicle will tend to rev up and down as it engages and disengages, not being able to keep the clutch clutch locked up. Second, the converter clutch will engage randomly in gears that it should not even engage in usually. Third the clutch does not want to disengage. As you slow down the vehicle will not downshift and if you try to accelerate the RPM's will be so low that the vehicle will have difficulty moving quickly. In extreme cases the lockup converter will try to keep the vehicle moving as you try to stop at a stop light, or will hang out and die.

Many people think that this problem is coming from their engine because it causes the car to stall. The check engine light will not always show an error for the TCC. Most lockup converters are controlled by a wire or wires that plug into the transmission. It is possible on some models to simply disconnect this plug. This is not a problem and will only cause you to lose a little gas mileage. The RPM's will run slightly higher than before but will not harm anything or be an issue.

How to Find the Best Home Based Business Opportunity and Succeed

Who would not prefer to work from home? In today's work, the rich are getting richer, those with the few resources are getting poorer, and the middle is being squeezed out. With gas prices gouging consumers, commuting to and from work is costing more than ever before, meaning less available money when payday rolls around. And, as companies continue to tighten their belts and downsize, employees are taking on increased responsibilities for the same amount of money. What's the end result? Working longer hours with less to show for it.

When you work from home, though, your office is down the hall. Instead of filling up your gas tank twice a week, you might fill it twice a month. You have more time with your family and extra time to spend following your passions. Best of all, you can make your own hours and the only boss you have to answer to is the one who looks back at you from your mirror.

So, the desire to work from home is there, but exactly what are you going to accomplish in order to make money? Anyone who has surfed the Internet knows that there are thousands - if not hundreds of thousands - of home based business opportunities being promoted. How do you find one that's legitimate so you can make money while you work at home? Here are five commands to follow:

1. Beware of Sales. Unless you're a natural born salesperson and have a passion for it, avoid the business opportunity that forces you to sell. However, with the right product or membership and support you can do quite well. And the neighbors, friends, and family members that you try and convince to purchase your product will be more receptive to this.

2. Beware of Inventory. This is secondary to the first commandment. Many home based business opportunities require that you purchase inventory. Remember, you want to make money, not exhaust it on inventory. Moreover, you do not need to deal with the hassles and headaches of storing products, fulfilling orders, and shipping products.

3. Welcome Support. The home based business opportunity you select must offer a comprehensive support program. This should mean that the company has a step-by-step training guide, online courses, and helpful support staff who are available to answer any and all questions you may have. The company must also provide you with resources such as templates, samples, and anything else you need to get started.

4. Flexibility is Key. Whatever business opportunity you choose, it needs to be one that's flexible. If you hook up with a company that insists you set out a certain number of hours each week, it's no better than working an eight-hour shift and having a boss. The purpose is that you own your own business and that you have the ability to choose to work at your own pace, whether that's part time or full time.

5. Take it Forward. For your first home based business, choose a company that can teach you skills and strategies that you'll be able to use in your upcoming endeavors. Your first home based business probably will not be your last, so it's important to learn all that you can in order to succeed in the future.

Powerful Cars You Would Love to Own

Cars first became available on a large scale from Ransom Olds in 1902, and on an even greater scale in 1914 from Henry Ford. Since then the most powerful cars on the planet have continued to fascinate us.

Any car fanatic will tell you that there are few things as incredible as the adrenaline rush that comes with driving a powerful car. For this article, we have devoted ourselves to cars that are intended for use on the open road rather than the racetrack - apologies to fans of Formula One!

So which are the cars that we can legitimately identify as the most powerful ever built? Although it is true that you'll be pouring out a substantial amount of money to own such cars - not to mention the price of car insurance; If you are a sufficient rich car fanatic you're probably still stop to think before buying one! Here is our list of five of the most powerful cars ever built.

Ferrari
You'd hardly expect Ferrari to be absent from a list of the most powerful cars of all time. This manufacturer's fantastic catalog of cars makes it an obvious choice to include the Prancing Horse in our top five. With an astonishing 612bhp on offer, the Ferrari 599 GTB can reach amazing speeds of up to 205 miles per hour, while also reaching 62mph from zero before four seconds are up. The 599 GTB looks as amazing as any other Ferrari, in addition to offering the kind of reasons that you would normally only dream of. A big garage would be handy, however, if you do not want pigeons and prying eyes near its gorgeous bodywork.

GMG Apollo
Hold on a second, did not I just say that the Ferrari 599 GTB offers speeds that you could normally only dream of? Well, if I did, it turns out that there's a car that matches it - the German-built GMG Apollo, which can hit 62mph in three seconds flat and that packs 650bhp. This car may have gorgeous gullwing doors, but you are not advised to attempt to take flight by opening them at 360km per hour!

Bugatti
The Bugatti Veyron is a favorite of many people, and offers the kind of frankly ludicrous figures that could embarrass even the GMG Apollo, being capable of reaching 62mph in 2.5 seconds and reflecting 987bhp. This is a super car, out of this world with an engine that supplies raw power and a design that is beautifully elegant and sleek.

Lamborghini
The 640bhp Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 is capable of hitting a 211mph maximum speed, making it another favorite of car lovers everywhere and ensuring that you'll never again be late for work! This Lamborghini matches an engine that is oriented towards speed with a touch of style and class on the outside with the help of the company's traditional vertical doors.

Mercedes-Benz
If you want to feel like you're Lewis Hamilton, you could do worse than drive the Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR, which has a carbon fiber chassis and combines unique style and performance. You've certainly got to be the biggest speed freak around not to be happy with this car's 650bhp and 337 km per hour maximum speed, although getting car insurance for this bad boy could be more easily said than done!

So, that's it - five of the most powerful cars ever built, in no particular order. What's your opinion?