Automotive Articles, Tutorials & Tips

Winter is right around the corner, for those of us in the Midwest that means icy roads, snow drifts and road salt. That also means if you are living in an area that is affected by the change of seasons you should be thinking about winterizing your vehicle. The following list details the steps you should be taking in order to winterize your car and be prepared for the upcoming season…

Check Your Tires -

If you have snow tires which improve traction now is the time to think about having them put on. If you don’t live in a particularly cold area, you’ll probably just want to check and maintain the pressure in the tires you already have.Take a test drive. If your tires lose traction when you break hard on wet roads or if you lose traction accelerating uphill you will need to inflate your tires because they shrink in cold weather. In fact, for every 10-degree Fahrenheit change in temperature, your tire’s inflation pressure will change by about 1 psi. Plus inflated tires also help protect against wheel damage if you hit potholes.

This is also the time you’ll want to replace any lost or damaged hubcaps and wheel covers as they protect your wheel against the damaging corrosion caused by road salt.

Check Your Fluids -

If you didn’t change your anti-freeze last year, you’ll want to do it now. Your car’s antifreeze keeps your car’s engine, radiator and hoses from freezing, and it also prevents engine corrosion.You should also change your engine oil about now. Check with your owners manual to see what kind of motor oil your car needs in the winter. Most cars have recommended oil grades of 5W-30, 10W-30 or 10W-40.

Lube Those Hinges -

There’s nothing worse than being frozen out of your own car. To keep your doors opening and closing in even the coldest weather, applying some petroleum jelly to the door’s hinges and door latches.If it’s your lock that’s frozen, use a lighter or a match to heat the key briefly. Then put it into the lock and turn gently. You can also use a lock de-icer.

Check or Change Your Battery -

Cold temperatures can cut the life of your battery in half, mostly because it takes a lot more power to start your car when it is cold outside. And batteries don’t give any notice before they decide to quit. You can test your battery by buying a battery hydrometer from your local auto parts store. You will also want to make sure the cables have no corrosion and that the connections are tight.If your vehicle battery is older than three years, have it tested at a certified automotive repair facility, batteries tend to last about three years and then fail suddenly.

Prepare an Emergency Kit -

Get an emergency kit together to store in the back of your car. It should contain jumper cables, tire chains and a tool kit. Load up on a few pounds of kitty litter or sand in case you need to get out of a slippery situation, and keep an ice scraper and a shovel in the trunk.

Finally, don’t forget to stock up on flares, flashlights, blankets and first aid supplies.

As always, thanks for your continued support of HubcapsPlus and if you have any questions or comments I’m always here!

The other day I posted some pictures of a Pop N’ Lock tailgate lock installation. Today I wanted to share a step by step installation video of a tailgate lock“>Bully tailgate lock on the same vehicle…

Once again… As you can clearly see installing a tailgate lock is simple and effective. If you own a pickup… This is one accessory you shouldn’t leave home without!

As always, thanks for your continued support of HubcapsPlus and if you have any questions or comments I’m always here!

This trailer hitch step is pure genius. When you need it you simply snap the spring loaded 9″ deck down and you have a convenient step capable of holding up to 600 pounds. When you are done flip it back up and you have a decorative patriotic hitch cover!

This strong machined hitch step is the perfect solution to accessing the back and sides of SUV’s, Trucks, RV’s and Service Vehicles!

As always, thanks for your continued support of HubcapsPlus and if you have any questions or comments I’m always here!

We’ve recently added some new Helix Power Tower Plus™ throttle body spacers to the main website at HubcapsPlus.com. For those of you not familiar with a throttle body spacer the Helix Power Tower Plus™ throttle body spacer increases fuel economy while significantly increasing horsepower and torque by producing air breakup and turbulence that yields greater fuel burn efficiency, which translates into the best performing and most efficient throttle body spacer in the marketplace! Which in turn translates into more savings at the gas pump for you.

We’ve added 14 new new Helix Power Tower Plus™ throttle body spacers including applications for these hot vehicles…

2007 Dodge Nitro 3.7L HELIX Throttle Body Spacer

and a…

2005-2007 Honda Ridgeline 3.5L V-6 HELIX Throttle Body Spacer

You can see all of the new Helix Power Tower Plus™ throttle body spacers we’ve added in our newly added items section at the main website. The newly added items sectionshowcases 50 of the latest and greatest items available for purchase at HubcapsPlus.com. It’s a good idea to check out the newly added items section every once in awhile. You never know what we might be adding!

As always, thanks for your continued support of HubcapsPlus and if you have any questions or comments I’m always here!

We get quite a few phone calls about our tailgate locks, most of which are people asking two things… “How hard is it to install?” and “How exactly does it work?”. Since the most popular variety of tailgate lock we carry are the Pop N’ Lock tailgate locks, and since I wanted to put one on my truck anyway, in this post we will go through the installation of a Pop N’ Lock tailgate lock on my 2005 Dodge Ram 1500. Although this installation is specifically for a Dodge the Pop N’ Lock tailgate lock installation is basically the same for most vehicles.

The thing to keep in mind with the Pop N’ Lock tailgate locks is that the lock itself is an external application. It prevents the tailgate handle from being lifted… If you think about your house door you basically have two locks. A dead bolt and a door knob lock. Think of the tailgate lock as the door knob lock… It simply prevents the door knob, or tailgate handle from turning or lifting…

An unprotected Dodge Ram tailgate handle…

Lift the handle up all the way and insert the lock assembly into the pocket under it. Tilt it up so that the two hooks slide into the cutouts for the handle arms. Push it in forcefully until the hooks snap into place.

After the hooks have snapped into place lift the lock up slightly and peel off the backing from the adhesive tape on the underside of the lock. Then press down on the handle for at least 10 seconds to seat the lock assembly fully.

Protected Dodge Ram tailgate handle with a Pop N’ Lock Tailgate lock installed…

As long as it is in the locked position you will be unable to lift the tailgate handle, making it unable to open and steal!

As you can clearly see installing a tailgate lock is simple and effective. If you own a pickup… This is one accessory you shouldn’t leave home without!

As always, thanks for your continued support of HubcapsPlus and if you have any questions or comments I’m always here!