Auto Glass Cleaning - Tips for Sparkling Clean Windows and Mirrors

The windows of your car take a beating from dirt, bugs, bird droppings and other debris. But with a few simple techniques and a little know-how, you can make even the dirtiest windows sparkle. Here's a list of helpful glass cleaning tips to get your windows brilliantly clean - and without leaving behind streaks, scratches, residue or lint.
1. The first step is to choose an auto glass cleaner. Make sure your glass cleaner does NOT contain ammonia, alcohol or any ingredient that could produce toxic fumes. Beyond the obvious health concerns of inhaling these fumes, consider the impact your automotive cleaning products have on the environment. There are car care products on the market that are 100% biodegradable, non-toxic and recyclable that have the same great cleaning power as traditional cleaning products.
2. Any product containing ammonia is a definite no-no when it comes to auto detailing. Ammonia and ammonia fumes cause plastic, rubber, vinyl and leather to dry out, and will damage any tint your windows may have. Do your homework and you won't end up destroying your vehicle's interior while you're trying to clean it!
3. The type of towel you choose to clean your windows with can make all the difference. Choose a high-quality, glass cleaning microfiber towel of at least 300 GSM. Microfiber towels can hold up to eight times their weight in water, are lint-free and will not cause scratches. An electrostatic charge causes dirt and debris to be lifted up and away from the surface, rather than dragged across it. Old t-shirts, towels, socks and newspaper are not the best choice when cleaning your car's glass, and will likely cause scratches, streaks and missed spots.
4. If you are cleaning the entire interior of your car, save your windows and rear-view mirror for last to avoid getting stray spray from other cleaning products on your freshly cleaned glass. You can also avoid stray spray by spraying your window cleaner (and other applicable interior auto detailing products) onto the microfiber towel - not directly on the surface.
5. Another factor to keep in mind is the motion you buff with your microfiber towel. While a circular motion may appear to be actively buffing away any streaks from your windows, a straight back-and-forth and then up-and-down motion will ensure that the entire surface has been cleaned and wiped down thoroughly.
6. Remember when cleaning your windows or mirrors to use one towel (or one side of a towel) to wipe the surface clean, and a second to buff the surface to a residue-free shine. Not only do you need two clean towel surfaces per swipe, but per window. The last thing you want to do is spread the dirt and dead bugs that you wiped off of your windshield onto the next window you clean. Make sure you have enough clean towels to avoid contaminating one window with the last one's mess.
7. Avoid cleaning your vehicle's windows in direct sunlight or very hot conditions, if possible. This is especially important if you are using a window cleaner containing harsh chemicals. When the liquid evaporates, the fumes left behind could easily be inhaled, posing a serious health risk. Even with non-toxic window cleaners, evaporation can also mean a spotty residue before your towel even hits the glass.
8. The easiest place to overlook when cleaning your vehicle's windows is the small edging area at the top of the window. Often, this area is especially dirty from build up in the rubber lip. Be sure you roll each window down several inches to clean this area on both the interior and exterior of the glass.
9. Ever get a build up on the edges of your windshield wipers that causes blurry areas on your windshield? Wipe down your blades with a damp cloth and a bit of white vinegar. The vinegar will remove the debris that's stuck on the blades and allow them to make full contact with the windshield again. If after a wipe down, your windshield wipers haven't improved any, you may be due for a new pair. And don't forget to clean out your wiper cowl once in a while! The wiper cowl is the area at the base of the windshield where your wipers lay when not in use. Keeping this area free of grime will greatly reduce the amount of debris on your wipers.
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How to Connect the Music on Your Phone to Your Car Stereo

One common ground of people who buy mobile phones is the desire to use their new gadget not only for communication but also for entertainment, especially playing music. Many are thrilled with the idea too that these mobile phones can be connected to the car stereo, giving the driver the chance to play music from the phone's memory through loud car speakers. There are three ways to do that: through an auxiliary audio cable, Bluetooth or via the FM transmitter.
Auxiliary Audio Cable
Of the three options given, this one is the cheapest, if the car already has an Aux outlet installed. To find out if your car is indeed configured to this specific purpose, locate the Aux outlet on your car's stereo. The outlet should look like a regular headphone or speaker banana jack (about 3.5 mm) and it should be labelled with either "Aux", "MP3" or "Audio". If this outlet is not available, you have to resort to other options given below. However, there is a good chance that two options will not work for you too since the use of Auxiliary audio cables in connecting phone and car stereos is the oldest of the three technologies. If your car does not have an "Aux" outlet, then there is a very high chance that your car does not have Bluetooth too. But don't worry; you can have the auxiliary in added into your car stereo at an affordable cost.
If you have everything ready, just plug one end of the auxiliary audio cable into the headphone jack of your and the other end to the outlet on your car stereo. The connection is virtually uninterrupted because of the direct cable connection.
Bluetooth
If your car is already Bluetooth-compatible, then using Bluetooth to connect your phone to your car would cost you nothing at all. Well, Bluetooth-ready car and phone are both expensive so connection cost is actually out of the question. However, to be able to use Bluetooth in audio streaming, your Bluetooth devices should be able to access the same "profile". Bluetooth profiles allow different Bluetooth devices to interact with each other despite their different functions. If you can make them access the same "profile", then the only thing left for you to do is to pair your devices and you will be able to start playing music. The downside of using Bluetooth lies in the fact that it is a wireless connection, thus audio quality is a little bit affected. It also consumes more battery so it is almost necessary to install a phone charger in your car.
FM Transmitter
This solution is only advisable when the other two options are impossible. The problem with the use of FM transmitter is that audio quality becomes highly dependent to the radio traffic in the area where you are at. In places where the radio traffic is jammed, different interferences can occur. Interferences like static sounds and bleed-overs can really make your listening experience suffer. But if you are left with no choice, all that you need to do is to check whether your car radio is working (please be aware that your radio may seem broken just because you have a damaged antenna).
You can always check the reviews concerning how to connect your own phone to your automobile stereo by visiting the Bluetooth sites.
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Emergency Police Lights for All Weather Conditions

Emergency police lights by the sound of it need to be extremely reliable, resilient in all weather conditions and energy conserving. There are several designs which offer these advantages while looking stylish at the same time. Sleek police lights and beacons are available in multiple colors. The beacons usually comprise of a LED light source with gyrating ability. This allows for 360 degree visibility of the light. It is covered by a dome shaped casing made of thermoplastic material. The dome usually has a polycarbonate base that ensures that the light is moisture resistant. The beacons are shock proof and also come with magnetic mounting that makes them resistant to vibration as is required in case of police vehicles. The rotating signal effect is excellent and with a life duration of 50,000 hours, can be ideal for emergency purposes.
Emergency police lights are manufactured to be maintenance free, offering light intensity sometimes in excess of 70cd. The impact resistance is also in excess of 20 Joules making them highly reliable and apt for rugged usage. The magnetic mounting of some emergency lights allows you to mount them on top of any vehicle with ease, without any hassles. With 180 rpm and 120 flashes per minute, the beacons are quite popular for emergency vehicles. Other forms of emergency lighting like LED bars are also beneficial especially with a variety of mounting styles and shock proof and weather proof construction.
The emergency police lights come with several in-built flashing patterns and operational modes. The most popular ones include static, dimmer, blackout, strobe, off-angle and linear flashing modes. These modes are not only adjustable for frequency but also for the intensity of the lighting. In other words, they can be brightened or dimmed, depending upon the circumstances. The LEDs used for these emergency lighting systems vary from 1W to 30W depending on how much intensity is required. Similarly the dimensions too vary from as small as 3mm to bigger ones measuring 10mm or more. The emergency lights also come with color mixing and color changing operations allowing you to create a more attractive flashing display that will catch anyone's attention with high intensity beams.
Emergency police lights can be installed easily with the help of mounting brackets and clips, interlocking connectors, 6, 12 or 24 V cables, power supply and other mounting hardware. The rubber grommet bases of some strobe lights not only help in installation but also help in keeping the lighting mechanism steady and impact resistant. One can opt for 3 LED mini bars as well as powerful light bars with more than 2 dozen LEDs. Emergency vehicle lighting is usually cased in crystal plastic or metal. Aluminum casing for example, has a heat dissipation structure, which proves useful when the lights are on for a long time. Bright pair lamps could also be used on emergency vans on both sides. The sleek flash lights can be controlled with a wheel for slowing or accelerating the blinking and make for excellent replacement for parking lights, backup lights and brake lights.
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Where to Mount Your Car Amps

There are several places in your car to install your car amps. You can usually be mounted with just 4 screws. The screws you use will depend on what you are screwing into, wood, metal, etc. You do want to mount your car amp at least 3 feet away from your receiver though to eliminate the chance of receiving any interference in your receiver. Making sure your stereo equipment is securely mounted can help eliminate shorts and other problems with your stereo.
So where do you want to install your car amps?
1) Under the front seat
Mounting an amplifier under the front seat can be a safe and secure for your car amplifier. Another advantage of installing your amp under the front seat is that you can run much shorter patch cables to your amp. It is also nice because it will be out of the way.
An obvious disadvantage of mounting a car amplifier under a seat is that you will have to remove the seat to install the amp. Sometimes removing the seat can deactivate the air bag SRS system in your car. As with any time you work on a cars electrical system you will want to make sure to connect the cars negative battery terminal. Another disadvantage of mounting your car amps under the front seat is that only smaller amps will fit under the seat.
2) In the trunk or hatch of your car
A common place to install your car amps is in the trunk or hatch. The advantage of mounting amplifiers in the trunk is you have much more space in the trunk for larger amps. It is also closer to your sub and rear speakers. The trunk is also can be a good place to conceal your amps so you can keep them safe from unwanted eyes.
The disadvantage of installing your amp in the trunk is that you have to run longer RCA cables and usually longer power wires. Having longer power wires usually means you need a thicker wire. Be sure to research to make sure you use the right size cable for your amps. Another disadvantage of mounting your amp is that it can get in the way when it is mounted in the trunk.
One thing you want to keep in mind is that car amps can produce lots of heat. This is one thing you will want to consider when choosing where to mount your amp. The amps cooling fins will need some space to disperse the heat. Giving the amps a couple of inches is enough space to help keep your amp cool. Never mount your amp upside down. This will make the heat radiate back up into the amplifier making it very hot. Make sure you also leave adequate room for the wires coming out of the amp as well.
If you are mounting car amps on a vehicle floor or panel you will want to make sure you know exactly what is on the other side of the panel you are screwing or drilling into. You do not want to screw into a brake or gas line, or even into your gas tank.
A lot of times you can install your car amps on the back or top of your subwoofer box. This can be very convenient if you take your car amps and subwoofers out of your trunk or hatch to make room for other items on a regular basis. Before starting your install is to make a plan before you start. Never rush your install giving yourself plenty of time to install your car amps and subwoofers.
Make sure to check us out and find more car amps.
Nate
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Parrot Hands-Free Kit

A Parrot hands-free kit? What, you may ask, is a Parrot hands-free kit? Simply put, it is a Bluetooth-capable kit that can be installed in your vehicle to allow for hands-free telephone communication while driving. Because of the number of car accidents caused each year due to distracted driving involving mobile phones; it is now against the law in the United Kingdom to use your mobile phone whilst driving.
However, the benefit of this kit is that it is literally installed into your vehicle and automatically connects with your mobile phone upon starting the engine. It connects via Bluetooth capabilities in a way that avoids messing with a headset or a long, overly obnoxious, microphone wire hanging from an earpiece that you usually end up having to hold with one hand anyways so that the other party can hear you when you talk. I never understood how that could be considered hands-free when you're using the same number of hands you would be using if you were holding the phone itself.
As I was browsing the web and checking my options, I noticed that the Parrot hands-free kit comes in a wide variety of different models. For the average, everyday user, there's just a plain old run-of-the-mill standard kit made solely for telephone calls. It is compact and I really like the small design because I imagine it would probably compliment just about any vehicle interior. Of course, let's not forget the fact that it has a voice recognition feature to truly make your phone a hands-free device. You speak a name and tell it to call and, Voila!, instant phone call. It doesn't get much simpler than that now does it?
Another option I'm pretty impressed with in regards to the different models is the Parrot hands-free kits that are compatible with iPods and iPhones (although they will work with any MP3 player, SDMMC or USB device as well). The main difference with these models, obviously, would be the music. Select the music you want to hear and it's played through your vehicle's speaker system for maximum quality.
Another great feature about this system is that upon receiving phone calls, it will drown out background and interior vehicle noise, including the music, this gives you optimal phone call quality. Not to mention that the phone calls also play over the vehicle's speaker system. I'm thinking I could definitely find a use for one of these kits!
Daniel Baker is the author of this article about Parrot hands free kits for more information visit Mobile Music
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Infinity Marine Speakers - A Brief Overview

Infinity marine speakers are among some of the company's best offerings. Founded in 1968, Infinity is a well-known brand for automotive audio equipment, loved and respected by casual users and audiophiles alike. In fact, Infinity is the official audio partner of automotive brands like Hyundai and several cars in the Chrysler stable. Besides making speakers and audio equipment for cars, Infinity also produces an entire range of audio devices for boats. Infinity marine speakers are typically affordable, deliver great performance, and can withstand the elements as any good marine speakers should.
When buying marine speakers, the most important thing you should look for is durability. While any speakers can work well on a boat (though a boat's shape and design offers slightly different acoustical challenges than a car), the constant exposure to water and the sun makes it imperative that the speakers be water and weather resistant to a high degree. Also, when buying speakers, always take any specification with a pinch of salt. For instance, most buyers tend to go by the number of watts offered by a system, which is essentially a useless number unless the speaker can actually deliver clear audio and render a large range of frequencies. A 500 watt speaker will not necessarily be better than a 100 watt speaker. Always pay attention to the actual performance, not specifications.
The range of Infinity marine speakers starts off with the extremely popular Infinity Reference 612m, 6.5-inch 225 watt 2-way marine speaker. This model isn't priced low - it will set you back by at least $140 - but it delivers an impressive performance that combines the best of awesome power with crystal clear clarity. The Infinity 612m features polypropylene woofer cones that are not only lightweight but also completely sealed for marine use. The rubber surrounds are treated to be UV-resistant, which means you can keep these speakers out in the sun for hours without any risk of damage. The 1-1/4" polypropylene semi-dome tweeter reproduces crystal clear sound, while the speaker itself is specially designed to be moisture resistant. The cast polymer basket that houses the speakers is corrosion proof and will withstand a high degree of salt, water, and UV damage.
In terms of real world performance, the Infinity series has long been the choice of audiophiles and lay customers alike who want to replace their car/boat's factory fitted speakers. The audio reproduced is crystal clear; there even the bass reproduction is admirable. At 225 watt, you get plenty of power for low frequencies as well. The Infinity 612m comes highly recommended and is great for use in boats of all shapes and sizes.
Another option in the Infinity marine speakers range are Infinity Reference 6912m 6x9-inch 105 watt marine speakers. Priced much lower than the 612m, the 6912m has lower power but does not compromise on quality. The audio reproduction is still top-notch, and the speakers are more than capable of handling a wide range of frequencies. Like the 612m, these speakers are water and UV resistant to a high degree. If you are looking for a cheaper alternative to the 612m, then the 6912m would be perfect for your boat.
Other Infinity marine speakers include the Wakeboard 6000m 150-watt tower speaker system, which is terribly expensive at over $400, but delivers an unparalleled performance.
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