Car Ramps - Worth Every Penny When Working on Your Car

More and more car owners are choosing to work on their cars instead of taking them in for repairs given the rather dire economic turn of events. If you are or intend to join the group, allow me to give you a tip - buying ramps is well worth the money spent.

The average automobile has come a long way in the last 20 years. You used to be able to pop the hood on a car and find enough space for you to practically stand in the engine area. In the 50s and 60s, people used to actually sit in the engine compartment to work on their cars. Those days are long gone. Pop the hood now and it can be shocking. Every inch of the engine compartment is crammed to the hilt with components.

The lack of space makes it difficult to work on your car. Designers apparently assumed anyone working on the car would have arms that were really thin and had 20 joints in them! Obviously, that's not the case. The real truth is most cars are supposed to be worked on from the bottom up. This is why mechanics have those lifts. You probably can't afford them, but car ramps are an inexpensive alternative that will make your life a lot easier.

Car ramps are exactly what they sound like. There are two of them. They are designed like right triangles with a fairly gentle slope. You figure out where you want to work on your car. It should be a flat surface! You then drive the car half way into the area. Line up the ramps in front of each tire and then slowly drive the car up on the ramps. Park it, put the parking brake on, place something behind the rear tires to brace them and you are ready to go.

Why are car ramps so great? Most cars sit fairly low to the ground. You can slide in under them, but actually working on the car can be a pain because your forearm tends to be longer than the vertical space between the ground and the engine components. To actually do anything, you have to sort of slide off to the side and angle your arm towards the component. The advantage is you can work on the component. The disadvantage is you can't see what you are doing. While you think you are loosing the oil plug, you actually are removing the fuel filter and that just ain't good news!

Your car ramps solve these problems. Most ramps will lift the car a couple feet of the ground. That doesn't sound like much, but it makes a world of difference. You can actually see and work on components without trying to bend yourself like a gymnast at the Olympics. At the same time, the engine components are not too far away from your hands.

Money spent on car ramps is money well spent if your weekend includes getting under the car. Make sure to give them a look.

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What is the Average Working Life Expectancy of a Chair Stair Lift?

When we think of life expectancy... a chair stair lift is the furthest thing from our minds. As a matter of fact, for most of us, until just a few years ago, it probably never crossed our minds. According to experts, there are over 7.1 million persons using home accessibility features in the United States. With some of the most common features being raised toilets seats, hand rails, ramps, widened door entrances, adapted door locks, lowered counters, slip-resistant floors and chair stair lifts. With the largest segment of the population being baby boomers, we can easily understand such an astronomical number.

How long should you expect your chair stair lift to work properly before hauling it off to the city dump? Well that all depends. It depends first on if you purchased it new or if you purchased it used. Buying a chair lift is like buying a car. It is possible to buy a used car that gives you ten long wonderful years without you changing the timing belt or the oil.( if I were you I would not try that) On the other hand, you can purchase a used car and if you didn't know any better, you would have thought that the car salesmen went down to Fred's Sanford's Garage, splashed on a fresh coat of paint, switched out the rims and sold it to you.

When you purchase a new product there are some benefits that may not be an option with a used lift. When purchasing a new stair lift the option of purchasing insurance and warranties are readily available. While you still will want to be sure to carefully weigh all of your options, a few more dollars in insurance or warranties could potentially save you thousands down the road.

Also, when purchasing a new lift you can customize your chair to best suit your needs. of course this goes without saying; you are the best person to make customization decisions because you know exactly what daily activities you take part in. So what is the life expectancy of a chair lift? According to manufacturers a chair stair lift should last at least 10 years or longer. So if you are thinking of purchasing a used one, be certain it is a lot younger than 10 years old for best performance.

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