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When you're headed out on that exciting road trip, fun and adventure await you around every curve. However, dangers can lurk there as well. Your dream vacation can quickly turn into a nightmare under the wrong conditions. Fortunately, most road hazards can be avoided, and even inevitable collisions can result in minimal risk and damage so long as you remain vigilant at the wheel. Damaged Roadways Even modern superhighways can have problems. For example, uneven grades or ruts in the pavement can grab your tires and jerk the steering wheel out of your grip. Under the right (or wrong) conditions, potholes can wreak as much chaos as a collision, possibly causing you to lose control of your car. Sinkholes, while rare, have been known to take lives. Keeping a sharp eye on the road is the best way to battle these asphalt demons. Avoid driving at night or on poorly lit highways. When the road surface is wet, be wary of puddles that could be hiding a large and potentially dangerous pothole. Keep your tires properly inflated to minimize tire damage and possible loss of control on rough roads. If you're forced to drive over a pothole, slow down, hold the wheel firmly, and resist the urge to brake when riding directly over it. Animals It's difficult to prepare for animals when driving. An animal can dart into the road ahead of you without warning. The best strategy is to drive at a reasonable speed so you have time to slow down. Swerving to avoid the critter will not only put you at risk of losing control, running off the road, or striking another car, but it also doesn't really work. It will often move just as you approach, getting hit anyway. Applying (not slamming) your brakes is the best option in most cases. Large animals, such as deer, pose a much greater risk. Watch for animal crossing signs — they're posted for a reason. Mating season for deer falls around November and December, so be especially careful this time of year. more Trucks Truck drivers are professionals, which is why over 70 percent of accidents involving large trucks are caused by the other drivers. Serious injury is more likely due to the size and weight of large trucks. Avoid driving in the " No Zone," the areas in which a truck driver can't see you. Never cut off a truck, especially in traffic, since they take longer to slow or stop. Be respectful to truck drivers. When they're merging into traffic, avoid the urge to speed up and pass them. Instead, slow down to make room and give them a few quick flashes of your high beams to let them in. You may even receive a "thank you" flash of their running lights in return. Stay watchful and alert during your road trips! If a collision does occur, don't panic or slam on your brakes. Instead, slow down and stop only when and where it's safe. Your car can be a lot of fun — but never treat it like a toy. Image via Wikipedia Commons by Editor5807 used under CC BY 3.0 / cropped & rotated from original

If you drive on a regular basis, you'll eventually run into one of the most common automotive situations — a nail, screw, or other poky metal object lodged in your tire. There are several steps you can take to detect and remedy the situation so you're not stuck on the side of a poorly lit roadway, attempting to unbury the spare in your trunk. Look, Listen, Feel Often you'll have a nail and not even know it until you're left stranded. Periodically check your tires for that telltale glint of metal. Run your hand around the surface of the tread to try and feel them out. Next, roll your car forward then repeat the check, in case the offending nail was underneath on your first attempt. Lower your windows while you're driving and you may hear the "tink tink tink" of metal. If the sound speeds up when your car does, it's possibly a nail or a screw hitting the pavement as you drive. Now What? A nail doesn't necessarily mean a flat. If it's a short one, may not have penetrated the inner liner of your tire. It may have gone in sideways and missed the liner completely. It's also likely that your tire formed a seal around the nail so you won't lose any air until it's yanked out. Checking your air pressure regularly can tip you off to unseen objects buried in your tread. Regardless of the symptoms, it's best to take your car to a service center right away. Bring some pliers and pull the nail out yourself while in the parking lot. If there's no hissing sound, hang out for a while (checking air pressure periodically). You may have gotten lucky and can drive on without any issues. If the tire begins losing air, at least you're already at a shop. more Fixing the Tire A repair shop has two options — patch or plug. Patches involve using a burr to roughen the inside surface of the tire and then applying a patch with heavy-duty adhesive. Plugging the tire means inserting a piece of rubber from the outside to halt the air loss. Both methods are imperfect, however. A patch seals the inside, but it doesn't block water that may eventually corrode your steel belts. A plug fixes the outside but may not seal the lining, leading to slow air loss over time. Nowadays, shops will use a plug patch. This clever combination of both methods will seal the tire from the inside and the outside. Keep in mind that a proper tire repair always requires removing the tire from the rim. Depending on your situation, you may or may not need a costly tire replacement. If your replacement doesn't match the tread pattern of your existing tires, handling issues can arise. If your other three tires are still OK but have considerable wear, a brand new one will also throw things off-balance. It's always optimal to replace all four tires at once so their tread depth and patterns will match. However, if you can save a few bucks by having the tire fixed, go for it! Image "Flat Tire" via Flickr by Marufish used under CC BY-SA 2.0 / cropped from original

By learning to detail your own car, you can not only help maintain its value, but you also get to enjoy that new car feeling without the expense of hiring a professional detailing service. Here are the top four secrets of car detailing to get pro results with just a little elbow grease and a few inexpensive products. How to Properly Wash and Wax Washing the car not only makes it look good, it also helps keep the paint in top shape since dirt, sap, bird droppings, and other contaminants can cause surface blemishes over time. The first rule of car washing is never to wash a hot car. The best way to wash your car is by using the two-bucket system with a microfiber wash mitt and car wash soap. The two-bucket system keeps contaminants from getting back on to the car. The first bucket is for the wash water and the second bucket is for rinsing: place your mitt in the sudsy water, wash a section of the car, rinse your wash mitt in the second bucket, then go back to the first bucket to reload with wash water. The mitt picks up dirt so by rinsing in a separate bucket, you avoid re-circulating dirty water back on to the car. Rinse thoroughly and dry with lint-free cloths. Use an auto glass cleaner for getting showroom new-looking windows. Wax the car with a liquid waxing product, making sure the car's surface is cool to the touch before you start. Use a clean soft towel and apply the wax in sections. Once it turns hazy you can buff it with a microfiber cloth. A designated wheel cleaner spray will help make quick work of the gunk that accumulates. Just spray it on the wheels, let it soak for a few minutes, spray with the hose, then use a scrub brush for stubborn areas, if necessary, and rinse How to Vacuum Vacuum the car with a handheld vacuum. Special auto detailing attachments that can give you better results than your vacuum are available. Remove the floor mats first and vacuum them separately. For pet hair that won't vacuum up, put on a regular latex glove and rub your hand over the surface of the carpet. The static electricity helps get the pet hair unstuck so it's easier to vacuum. Make sure to move seats forward and backward so you can vacuum more floor area. more How to Clean the Upholstery/Leather Use a cleaning product specifically made for your interior. Whether it is cloth or leather, a specialized product will give you the best results. It's best to avoid cleaning the headliner, since the moisture and agitation can cause the glue to fail, resulting in a detached, sagging headliner. If it needs to be done, spot clean the headliner carefully, using as little moisture as possible. How to Clean the Dashboard and Hard Surfaces For the dashboard and other solid surfaces inside the car, use an interior spray cleaner such as Meguiar's Interior Detailer Cleaner. This is what detailing pros use - it will get rid of dust and dirt and it's safe for dashboard displays and touchscreens. By using these pro detailing tips, you can enjoy driving a sparkling clean car anytime. Image via Pxhere.com