Car Repair Tips For Women

With a few simple car repair tips for women, going to the mechanic does not need to be intimidating or stressful. If you know a few things about maintaining and fixing your vehicle, you might even be able to do some of the repairs yourself. Many things that go wrong with a car are minor if you have maintained it properly. Some repairs, however, will need to be done by professionals. With these simple car repair tips for women, you can decide for yourself if you want to try to fix something at home or if it would be better to take it to a local mechanic. These tips will help ensure that you are following safety precautions and that you are not spending unnecessary money on a mechanic for something simple that you can do yourself.

Avoid Major Repairs
Even experienced mechanics who have been working on cars for years will often take their car to a garage if it needs major repair. If something goes wrong or they run into something that they do not know how to fix, it could cause a problem because they have no way of taking the car to the shop once the car has been taken apart. Engine problems could be major, but they could be made worse if you do not know how to properly fix the problem. Only make repairs that you have the ability and knowledge to handle.

Safety tips for parking lots for women: Preventing car jacking, muggings, and assault

Parking lots are so common we may rarely think of them as “dangerous places”. But statistically, they are the second most common places for personal assault and theft. Much of what we do in parking lots is routine, so improving your safety is just a matter of forming some new safety habits.

Please note this is a growing list. I encourage you to leave a comment with your own parking lot safety tip, story, or advice.

Some of these tips are for deterring theft. It’s important to realize that auto-related theft is rarely random: the criminal is watching every car enter and leave the lot. Assume you are being watched from the moment you arrive.
Tip #1: Leave your purse at home (gasp!), or hidden in your car’s trunk. Your purse is the number one target, and it’s connect to you. Thieves can use knives to quickly cut the straps, cutting you in the process. Drive-by-snatchings are not uncommon: a car passenger with the window rolled down can drive beside you and simply grab your purse. If you can’t get it off your shoulder in time, “you’re coming with it and it could drag you up underneath the car. It has happened before.” warns Sgt Almond. If you need it, consider keeping your purse over the shoulder facing away from the road.
Tip #2: Your keys are a weapon. If you find yourself in a bad situation and fear for your safety, try this: take the biggest key on your key chain and hold it in your palm, letting the shaft of the key slip between your middle and ring fingers. Now close you fist tightly so they key protrudes firmly from your hand. This weapon can be used to jab or scratch at the throat, eyes, or ribs of an attacker. Practice doing this all within your pocket, or just without looking.

Tip #3: Don’t walk alone, especially at night. But what if you are alone? Wait for someone else to arrive in the lot, and walk into the building at the same time. The same is true when leaving: wait for someone who has made a purchase, and walk to your car at the same time.
Tip #4: Always lock your doors and keep your windows fully closed. Opening your windows just a crack (maybe to keep the heat down) is enough to make a break-in much easier and faster.
Tip #5: Never leave valuables—including piles of coins—visible in your car. An experienced auto thief can break into your car in as little as 3 seconds (even for new cars), making even a few bucks in change worth the effort.
Tip #6: GPS devices are a hot item. Don’t give any indication that there may be one in your car. This means wiping off suction cup marks from your windshield, and hiding it in your vehicle before driving into the parking lot.
Tip #7: Don’t hide valuables or put them in your trunk after you have parked. Remember, the criminal is watching and you’re not only showing them what you have, but where you’ve put it.
Tip #8: Look under and around your vehicle as you approach it. If someone is walking behind you or approaching you, change directions. Car jackers will confront you just as you open your door, and 92% of successful jackings involve a weapon. But jackings also happen just as you leave your car, so stay alert make sure there is nobody nearby before getting out.

2010 Los Angeles: Subaru infuses Impreza Design Concept with Confidence

Enthusiasts may associate the Subaru Impreza with performance, all-wheel-drive, and rally prowess — but it isn’t exactly the most attractive thing on four wheels. That may soon change, however, if the new Impreza Design Concept, unveiled this afternoon at the Los Angeles Auto Show, is truly a sign of things to come.

Calling this a departure from the current car is a gross understatement. This is, quite frankly, a clean-sheet design, which abandons the rotund, bulging profile of today’s Impreza in favor of a tapered, sophisticated shape. Thanks to taut body lines and slender panel gaps, the concept carries a very mature appearance. Arguably, the only cues carried over from the present Impreza are the bold bumper fascias, wide stance, and flared wheel wells — all of which, Subaru says, are designed to emphasize the vehicle’s driveline.

Per Subaru tradition, the Impreza Design Concept sends power to all four wheels, thanks in no small part to the company’s symmetrical all-wheel-drive system. Power comes courtesy of a 2.0-liter flat-four-cylinder, which is derived from the company’s third-generation boxer engine range. Interestingly, Subaru’s fitted the show car with its continuously variable transmission — a feature new to the Impreza line, but likely essential to help the company improve fuel economy figures.

So, is this simply a showcase for Subaru’s new “Confidence in Motion” mantra, or is the Impreza Design Concept something more? Officials simply smirk when we ask, but we’d wager this is a good preview of the next-generation Impreza, much like the 2009 Legacy concept teased the then up-and-coming 2010 Legacy sedan.

Strip this show car of the camera-based rear-view mirrors, digital gauges, and expansive touch-screen interface, and you may well be looking at tomorrow’s Impreza. If so, we’re in for a real treat — it’s refreshing, frankly, to see Subaru infuse this much style into its