March 2018 – Page 4

Flipping Cars For Profit

Posted on March 6, 2018 by blogger

When the economy is down, like it is now, everyone needs a way to make some money. Much like flipping a home you can flip used cars. Flipping cars for profit is not only easy; it’s very profitable and legal. Flipping a used car is simple, and cheap.

The first thing to do is get a used car. It can be the one you have that you simply don’t need any more, or one that you go out and find. Word of warning to you before you go out and purchase a used car, go do some research. Learn what types of cars are selling in your area, and what the going price is. Then buy it at the lowest price possible.

Much like flipping a house, you will have to put some work into your used car. With a house this is expensive, but the price value increase will more than cover the costs. With a car you will have to invest some money to fix it up, but the value increase should more than cover the money you have to put into it.
Your costs will actually be very low; most of the things you will do to your used car will be minor touch-ups. One thing to consider when getting a used car is if it runs. Getting a car to run again usually is a simple thing.

There are many minor fixes that anyone can do for very little money, but you do have to know what it is that you are doing. If you go into a car’s engine without knowing what you are doing you could end up costing yourself all of your potential profit and more. This is something that you obviously don’t want to do.

The goal of flipping cars for profit is not to make them like new, just make them nice. You don’t want to drop a lot of money on this project, because you will not be able to make it back when you go to sell the car later. One important thing to remember is that this car is not yours, it is the customers. It does not have to be something you want to drive day in and day out, don’t fix it up to your standards.

In the end you want to keep an eye on your bottom line. Do not put more into the vehicle than you are going to get out, in fact you should not be breaking even you should be making hundreds with every car. Flipping cars for profit is simple as long as you don’t make it about you and the car, but about the customer and the car.

Is Your Car Driving Your Pain An Osteopaths Opinion

Posted on March 4, 2018 by blogger

Is your car driving your pain? An osteopaths opinion
Whether driving a car, a bus, or a lorry or even as a passenger – you could be suffering driving related back pain.
In all these cases, osteopathy can help to reduce pain and your osteopath in Manchester can offer advice on back pain management, including simple exercises to prevent problems in the future.

Keep moving is advised by osteopaths –
Its not just the driver who can stiffen up in a car. Passengers are often seated for long periods of time in a fixed position.
Movement is the key for car, driver and passenger.
As a passenger, try to alter your position from time to time and sit with your knees bent and thighs level and comfortable. Avoid sitting with your legs crossed; move them regularly.
For driver and passengers, stop regularly, ideally once an hour, especially when feeling tired.
Get out of your vehicle and walk around it several times.
Stretch like a cat, gently moving your arms around, bringing your knees up to your hips, and stretching your whole body.

Osteopaths ask any back pain sufferer to consider the following

Choose a car, with an adjustable lumbar support (and use it). Alternatively, keep a small cushion in the car to support your lower back.
Choose a car with a higher kerb height to make getting in and out less stressful on the spine.
Depressing the clutch increases the pressure on your back so choose an automatic to avoid this.
Power steering also significantly reduces the load on the spine.
Driving can give you
Neck Pain
Headaches
Eyestrain
Shoulder Pain
Wrist Pain
Elbow Pain
Back Pain
Bottom Ache
Hip Pain
Knee Pain
Foot and Ankle Pain
Is the car the right fit for you?
Sometimes, the design of the car itself can lead to back problems. If you have to drive particularly long distances, check out the cabin and layout of the controls with the tests set out below, and a comfortable motorway cruiser is gentler on your back
If the car can pass these four simple tests then there is a good chance that it is suitable for the particular driver. By using these tests a prospective buyer can make an informed choice of car and hopefully avoid drivers back pain.

Try the following tests that our Manchester Osteopaths often mention
1. The Praying Test The driver places both hands together, pointing forwards. If the steering wheel is not offset then the driver should be pointing straight at the centre of the wheel. The danger of having an offset wheel is that most drivers tend to rotate the middle of the spine to compensate for its position, producing long term back strain.
2. The Fist Test With the seat in the normal driving position make a fist with the left hand keeping the thumb to the side of the index finger. It should be possible to insert the fist on the crown of the head. If it is only just possible to insert the flat of the hand between the roof and the head then there is insufficient headroom. The danger of having too little headroom is that the driver may compensate for the lack of height by slouching in the seat which puts a strain on the spine and thighs.
3. The Look Down Test With both hands placed evenly on the steering wheel look down at the legs. It should be possible to see equal amounts of both legs between the arms. Frequently the left leg will be visible but the right leg will be obscured by the right arm which may indicate that the shoulder girdle is rotated to the left in relation to the pelvis.
4. The Right Leg Test This test should be performed after you have stopped having driven the car for a short while.
Once again, look down and examine the position of the right leg. Is it elevated above the level of the left or has it fallen out towards the edge of the seat? Is the right foot roughly in line with the thigh as it should be, or has it had to come across towards the centre of the car?
5. The Kerb Height Test Swing the right leg out of the car as though getting out, and place the right foot on the ground. Try and ensure the lower leg (shin and calf) is in a vertical position.
Now look at the surface of the right thigh. It should be sloping down towards the knee. If it is sloping upwards (i.e. if the knee is higher than the hip) you will have difficulty when exiting this vehicle.
If the car can pass these 5 simple tests there is a good chance that it is suitable for that particular driver. By utilising the tests, a prospective purchaser should be able to produce a short list of suitable vehicles, from which they can then make a choice.

When driving
Car seats can be adjusted to suit your posture but make sure that you always:
1. Keep your seat reasonably upright, leaning backwards only at a slight angle.
2. Keep the headrest adjusted so that the centre of the headrest is level with your eyes. Dont set the headrest too low as this can allow more serious injury in an accident.
3. When getting in, sit first then swing your legs into the car. When you get out, move the seat back before swinging your legs out.
4. Do you ride the clutch, resting your foot in the air? No wonder your ankles or calf muscles hurt.
5. To relax, raise your shoulders to your ears breathing in, and then lower them as you breathe out. You may want to do this at every red traffic light, or major junction.
6. Avoid reaching behind to get bags from the rear seat. Dont be lazy. Get out and open the door.
7. Be careful when loading and unloading. Lift correctly.
8. Avoid lifting unnecessary weights. Get help to change a tyre.
9. Sit with arms gently bent at the elbow to the wheel and dont lean forward out of the seat.
10. Wear a seat belt and make sure it is properly adjusted. Make sure children also have appropriate seat belts and cushions.
Remember
Prevention is better than cure.
Sit properly, drive relaxed.
Osteopaths can advise on posture.
Osteopaths treat neck and back pain and a great many other things as well.
If you are unlucky enough to be involved in a road accident osteopathy can help relieve the pain of injury, especially whiplash-type injuries.
Osteopaths are often asked by solicitors to write medico-legal reports on accident
victims, to help them claim compensation.

How to Check a Used Car before You Buy it

Posted on March 2, 2018 by blogger

A used car has always faults that reduce the comfort of using the car or that must be repaired before using it comfortably and safely. This is all right, as long the prize you pay is not too high when you also add the prize, time and efforts for subsequent repair and adjustments. Here are some tips for checking a used car before any purchase.

BASIC PRINCIPLES OF ASSESSING A CAR BEFORE YOU BUY

The basic principles of assessing a used car before you buy it are:

– Look at everything.
– Test everything.
– Check the car’s history.
– Write down what you find.

Before you begin checking the car, make sure you have ready something to note down your findings upon.

If you only remember these four depicted principles, you will probably make a good assessment even without any more detailed plan. However, in the following a plan for the assessment is presented. It is not always possible to do it exactly as described, but try to follow the procedures as well as you can.

LOOK IT ALL OVER

Before starting the car, you should watch the whole car externally and internally in a systematic manner:
– Go around the car and watch every point. Look for broken windows, unclear windows, unclear or broken mirrors, bumps, rust or damaged painting.
– Then look especially well at the channels on the sides. Look for any rust and injuries.
– Try to open and close all doors. Look around the doors, both at the doors themselves and the frames around the doors. Try the locks in every door.
– Look at the wheels and the wheel suspensions.
– Look under the car. Look especially for rust, broken parts or unsymmetrical parts.
– Look into the luggage room. Look under carpets and covers. Look especially for cracks, rust or unsymmetrical parts. Such symptoms can indicate that the car has been subjected to an injury.
– Look into the motor room. Check for loose parts. Does everything seems solid and in place? Is there much rust? Are there signs of oil leakage? Is it very dirty, and what kind of dirt is present? Some dirt is normal, but extreme and unusual dirt should give you something to think about. Do you see any cracks or any asymmetry? Are there any signs of repair work done? Such symptoms indicate that the car has been through an accident.
– Try the suspension by bouncing each of the corners of the car. They should bounce only one or two times in every corner, and without any cracking noise.
– Look to see if the car has spare wheels, standard tools for repair and wheel shift, and both summer and winter wheels present.
– Then turn the key so that the electric systems are activated.
– Look at everything in the cabin. Look under the carpets. Sit down in all seats. Try all regulatory possibilities of the seats.
– Try all electric windows, electric mirrors and other commodities that are electrically operated.
– Try out all lights, including the signal lights and the serene. If some of them do not work, set in a new bulb, to see if this is the only problem.
– Try the radio, car computer, music equipment and any GPS navigation unit.

START THE MOTOR AND TEST

After having seen the car all over, it is time to start the motor. The motor should ideally be started when it is cold. A motor started easily when it is warm, does not necessarily start easily when cold.
– Start the motor. Does the motor start easily or not? Listen for sound of uneven motor work, sounds of vibrations or sounds of friction. Do you feel any vibrations outside the normal?
– When starting the motor, kick the brake pedal. It should easily go down and kick in the brakes when the motor is started. If not, the brake servo can be broken.
– Listen for unusual or high sounds from the exhaust system indicating breakage.
– Look at the dashboard panel. Do all indicators work? Does any indicator signal any problem?
– Try the steering by turning the steering wheels. How much do you have to rotate it before the wheels turn? It should not be more than around 2 cm or 0.8 inch.
– Try the window washers and the window wipers, and any light wiper and washers.
– Kick in the clutch, and try all the gears if it is manually geared.
– Try out the cabin heater or air conditioning.

TEST DRIVE

Then there is the time for a test drive. When you are test-driving the car, you should try out the following:
– Set the gearbox in reverse, and back out of the parking place. Does the gas and the clutch work smoothly when backing? Does the car get smoothly into motion?
– Set the car in motion forewords. Does the gas and the clutch work smoothly in foreword motion? Does the car get smoothly into foreword motion?
– Increase the speed and gear up to second gear if the car is manually geared. If it has automatic gearshift, just speed up until the second gear sets in. Are there any problems to go up one gear? If the car has an automatic gearbox, does the second gear kick in when expected?
– Try the breaks from a low speed. Is there any problem with the brakes, like poor action, vibrations or unmoral noises? Does the car pull to one side when you use the brakes?
– Park the car and note down all your findings so far. Then start again.
– Try a wider range of speeds, and the rest of the gears. If the car has an automatic gearbox, do the other gears kick in when expected? Does the motor feel quick, or is it lazy?
– Listen to the car mechanics. Is there any rattling or whining sounds from anywhere? Be especially aware of singling sounds from the gearbox or unexpected motor sounds.
– Watch out for any smell of gasoline, diesel, oil or anything burnt during drive?
– Does the car go in a straight line and direction at higher speeds, or does it wiggle or pull to one side. Is it still easy to steer it both to right and left? Is the steering accurate?
– Try the breaks from a higher speed and notice any irregularities.
– Look at the figures for motor temperature. Is it in the normal range?
– Finish by testing the reverse once again when parking.
– When finished the test drive, look into the motor room. Do you see any oil leaks, or water leaks, or is there any unexpected high temperature? Is there any smell of burnt substance? Is there any smell of gasoline or diesel?
– Note down all your findings.

CHECK THE PAPERS AND CAR HISTORY

Then, before buying the car, check all the papers.
– Look at the service book. Has the car had all its services?
– Look at all repair bills. All of these should ideally follow the car.
– Look at the mileage indicator to see how long the car has been driven.
– Take out a history report of the car from authorities, insurance companies or other instances offering such reports. An example of such a report is a Carfax report that can be taken out online.
– In some countries or areas dept issues or fines that an owner has generated follow the car to the new owner. Such issues are especially important to check out. How you can do so, will vary from place to place.
– Ask the seller about history issues, for example accidents the car has gone through. If you have found some signs indicating some issue, ask directly about them. Many sellers will be honest and tell any truth. In other cases you can guess from the way that the seller answers if he is lying or not.

DECIDING

At the end, you must decide several things based on the findings.
– First of all, is this really the car type you need? If not, decline the offer, even though everything looks fine.
If you have decided that this is the car type for you, then think further.
– Is the car in such a technical condition that it is possible to bring it to the standard you want? If not, decline the offer.
– Then think about how much time and effort the repair of the car will cost you. Even though you let a workshop repair the car, you must spend time by bringing the car to and from the workshop, by explaining what to repair, by waiting, by checking after repair, and so on.
– What do you think the repair of the car will cost?
– Now you can decide if the car is worth buying after all, and the maximal prize worth paying.
– As the last point, discuss the prize with the seller, even if it is within the right prize range.
Then at last, after all checking, and all thinking, and discussing the prize, you can decide to buy or not.