Aftermarket action
Get the kids into cars Here’s an interesting book for parents looking to introduce their offspring to the wonderful world of automobiles. “Yellow Car Vroom Vroom!”, written and illustrated by H.W. Guerrier, tells the story of a father, his daughter named Cricket, and a yellow sports car purchased by the father that they learn to care for together. That involves keeping it clean and in good mechanical repair with the help of a garage mechanic. The book is aimed at children ages 4-6 years. Order for $12 from www.amazon.com.
GT flavor without the cost Autodromo, the watchmaker that specializes in automotive-themed timepieces and other accessories, has introduced a new watch that pays homage to the iconic Ford GT sports car. In fact it embodies both the 1960s original (called the GT40) and the current $450,000 limitededition GT that’s made almost entirely of carbon fiber. The officially licensed Chronograph has a 40-millimeter-diameter case and uses a Japan-made Seiko quartz movement. It comes with a leather strap and is water-resistant to a depth of 50 meters. The GT watch sells for $700 at www.autodromo.com.
Change tires at home The increasing cost of tire changes might have many do-it-yourselfers considering a manual tire changer such as the RWS-3TC from Ranger Products for their home garages. The RWS-3TC is light (shipping weight of 32 pounds), easy to use (according to the manufacturer) and compact enough to be stored in most garages. The company claims the product is rugged enough to handle both mounting and bead-breaking tasks, although it’s not suited for large-diameter wheels and/or low-profile tires. Purchase the Ranger tire changer for about $130 from a number of auto-supply stores or online resellers including www.amazon.com and www.summitracing.com.
Bugs be gone The tall, upright posture of today’s utility vehicles is all the rage, but with a large frontal area there are more dried bugs to clean off. And they are a pain. One of the easier ways (with less elbow grease) is to hose down the front end/windshield/fenders/mirrors with water and let the area soak to soften the bugs. This can be time consuming and requires repeated wettings. Another way — and a faster one — is with Mother’s Speed Foaming Bug and Tar remover. Spray it on and wipe it off as the formula is designed to “safely lift away road grim and organic matter.” It can also be used as a prewash to get rid of the bugs and tar during a regular wash. The product is so new that it’s not yet on the www.mothers.com website, although several other new products in the company’s Speed line are.