Thanks to modern electronics, we now have, more than ever, multiple options for buying an audio system for our car. We only need to go to an electronics store like Best Buy or Circuit City and find tons of options. Or check the web. There are so many brands to choose from that it may drive you nuts.So, today it isn?t about what should you buy, but how much money do you have to invest in my car audio. It?s a complex balance between what do you want and what can you really afford, especially if you are an enthusiast of these babies.

Let?s say that you have five hundred dollars. That let?s you buy a decent receiver, an amplifier and a nice set of 4-way speakers. But reality says that you want more. Ok, you may buy this basic kit and save some more money until you have enough dollars to go for a subwoofer or a couple of tweeters with a dedicated amp. The thing is that you may not want to wait one or two years for it.

In that case, you should consider buying an used car audio system. For some men it may be considered as a sacrilege. After all, an audio system is considered by many of us as a physical manifestation of ourselves. It is the mean to make the world know what kind of music we hear.

But relax. You don?t need to be such an extremist with used car audio. First things first. Look for some prices. One of the first places to look on is Ebay. You may find a good price on a complete used car audio kit. Another option is retail stores. Some years ago I found a complete kit: receiver, speakers and amplifiers for 60% of the price. Why? Because the guy who bought it didn?t like how it sounded and spent more money on a more sophisticated system. But for me it was more than enough. This guy?s bad choice was my bliss.

You can also check the classified ads in the newspaper. You will find lot?s of local sellers looking for buyers for their used car audio. Electronics advances very quickly and consumers are so eager to use new technologies, that you will not find a shortage of them.

Finally, try your friends. Maybe they were already considering selling their system but needed a final push to do it. Ask those that have a good sounding system and check how much the same equipment would cost at a store.

At the end, it doesn?t matter which source of used car audio you use, the thing is that you find yourself comfortable with the deal you have made. Not only on the bucks you have saved, but also feeling that your second hand system does sound good after all.

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It usually doesn?t take the new owner long after getting their first Jeep to start thinking about making modifications. Owning a Jeep and self-modifying it seem to go hand in hand like owning a hot tub and soaking. You see other jeeps tooling down the road and they look so much more,..?well, Jeep-like. You know the look ?Rough and ready to rock on!? A lot of first time owners may wonder, ?What do I need to do to get that look?? Well you can give your vehicle that look with 4 modifications.

First, tires and wheels are a good place to start. Those stock tires are pretty wimpy looking and spicing up the tires and wheels goes a long way to making your Jeep take on a new appearance. You?ll want to consider if you?ll be installing a lift and how much of one before you jump on the tires. The bigger the lift the larger the tires you?ll be able to run. Tires and wheels might be a simple way to change the look of your rig, but they won?t be an inexpensive way to go. They can be downright costly! You?ll need to consider your Jeep use before investing. Is it a daily driver, purely an offroad vehicle, or a mix of the two? You?ll also want to consider how your Jeep is powered and geared. A number of folks place way too much rubber under their rig and then wonder why it doesn?t respond or have any pick-up! Hello, you just added a few hundred pounds of rubber; do you think that it will have an effect? If you go with large tires, you might need to upgrade your gears. There is a cause and effect at work here. How your Jeep is powered and how you use it should ultimately determine what wheel and tire package you select. Consult with your local offroad performance shop if you?re not sure or you need help. They should be able to steer you in the right direction.

Second, those stock bumpers really do need to go. Not only are they unimpressive, they simply will not stand up to an offroad beating! There are a ton of options out there from tube units to the rock crawler bombproof heavy-gauge block units. The finishes are wide and varied as well; stainless steel, black powder coated, titanium finish (the latest craze), etc. Bumpers seem to be made by everyone these days from small shops making custom units to major manufacturers like Warn, Warrior and ARB producing lines of them. So you have a ton of options! For me I?d stick with a well-known company that offers a warranty on its products. You know their bumpers have been tested, passed DOT regulations, and the company stands behind them for defects. You won?t get any of that from a local shop, and even if you do, who knows how long they?ll be around to support it? Warrior makes a good basic steel bumper along with tube units. Warn makes a nice Rock Crawler Bumper with an optional grille guard. And ARB makes a tube bumper they call a Bull Bar. All three companies are recognized for well-made products and they all have a very good reputation. I don?t think you can go wrong with one of their bumpers.

Third, lift that Jeep. Raising your Jeep gives it a better, hardier profile. It really makes a difference. You can lift it with a simple lift system like coil spacers or lift shackles. Or you can go with a body lift or, even bigger and better, a suspension lift. There are tons of options from style, manufacturer, and price to select from. So, do your research and be thorough before making a final decision.

Fourth, you?ve lifted your Jeep and have bigger tires, now it?ll look a whole lot better with bigger fender flares. The higher vehicle and larger tires scream for wider and more pronounced fender flares! The most popular these days seem to be the Bushwacker 6 inch extended fender flares. Their flares are made of a tough Dura-Flex material so they take a beating and are easy to maintain. They bolt on using existing factory drilled holes and come in a black matte finish that is easy to custom paint. Bushwacker backs them up with a Limited Lifetime Warranty. Xenon and Bestop also make very good extended fender flares for your Jeep. Whichever flare you choose, your Jeep will look better with the extended type, and they?ll offer better protection against the flying debris from those larger tires.

With these four upgrades your Jeep will take on that rugged rock ready look. Don?t hesitate to contact a local performance offroad shop or a couple of them to ask questions and get input. The people at these shops are heavily involved in the sport of wheeling and they can offer some valuable insight into your options.

In his spare time, Al likes to learn more about one of the true American Automotive Legends, The Jeep. When he is working, Al is a marketing manager for one of the leading on-line retailers of Jeep accessories and parts, Xtreme Terrain Concepts.

By : Al Carl
Support by Car Shop
Keyword : jeep,jeep lifts,bumpers,wheels,fender flares

Car Stereo Repair

category : Automotive:Mobile-Audio-Video

Have you ever experienced problems with getting your car speakers to work? Since I think many of us car owners have experienced this problem, I will provide this description of how to diagnose the problem of silent speakers and also give you some hints on how to fix it. Whether you are familiar with car stereo repair or not, this might help you. If it doesn’t, contact a dealer who can do an auto stereo repair or search for vehicle stereo repair help online. If your stereo speakers don’t work, then try

• checking the speakers to see if they are disconnected
• checking all fuses that are related to the auto speakers
• tightening the butt connectors to the speakers
• replacing all or some of the butt connectors

If your speakers are still not working, I recommend that you test the auto speakers that don’t work directly:

• Disconnect each speaker that doesn’t work from the car?s wires and do the test below, doing one at a time.
• Use a 9v battery and connect its leads to each auto speaker to be tested for a short moment.
  • Does the speaker have movement?
  • Do you hear the sound usually known as a ‘pop’ or thump?

  If your answers to the questions above are ?yes?, your speaker will probably be able to make sound and it is likely to work.

• Also note which way the speaker are moving, whether in or out of its frame during the test. Thus you can also determine your auto speakers polarity when connecting them up to the amplifier up in the front.
• If the cone of your speaker moves out of the basket, the lead going to the positive of the battery is the positive lead of the speaker. If it goes in the opposite direction, the lead hooked to the negative of the battery is positive of your auto speaker.

This speaker direct test has two possible results: Either the speaker is not able to make sound or it is. If the first is the case, your speaker are dead and you must replace it. If the latter is the case, you should

• run new speaker wires and rewire
• perform the ‘popper’ tests to get the polarity correct as described above

Now, if this problem still persists you can at least rest assure that the reason is not your speaker. The reason is probably one of the following: Either it is caused by

• problems in the deck itself or
• the connections from the deck.

In this case I recommend that you contact a vehicle stereo repair shop or do a search online to get information about how to fix these problems.

Terje Brooks Ellingsen is a writer and internet publisher. He runs the website cheap-used-cars.w-eland.com. Terje gives advice and helps people with automotive issues like car repair and online car auctions.

By : Terje Ellingsen
Support by Rainner
Keyword : car stereo repair, auto stereo repair, speakers, battery, online