Windshield Wipers and Headlights

Headlights and wipers. They always seem to go together. Which makes sense, since most accidents happen in low visibility situations. In fact, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 50% of traffic-related fatalities occur in the dark, despite only 25% of traffic traveling during darkness. Good visibility is what avoids accidents. This is why many car makers have daytime running lights as a standard safety feature.

So with winter fast approaching, and my wipers and headlights fast deteriorating, I decided it was time for some routine maintenance. I’m not sure what a repair shop would charge for this job, but I am sure that it would probably be shockingly expensive. And this is a very easy and inexpensive job to do yourself. The high performance winter wipers cost $8 each and took 30 seconds to install and the super bright headlights cost $14 (regular versions were $8) and took 1 minute to install. Here’s how you do it:

Headlights come in two basic styles. The old style, which consists of a sealed beam unit where you replace the entire lens assembly (mostly on older cars) and the new style, where the lens assembly is fixed in the car and you replace the bulb only (found on newer cars). Headlight technology has changed a lot in recent years (and if you want a detailed description of the styles and history of headlights, click here). The new styles reduce glare, increase visibility and look pretty cool too. With new and old headlights, it’s always a good idea to replace them in pairs as beam quality inevitably degrades over time.

The bulbs-only style can usually be replaced easily and quickly without needing to adjust the beam angle. Check your manual for the exact procedure, but on most cars there is a plug on the back end of the headlight assembly which can be accessed through the engine compartment. Simply unplug the old bulb, undo a clip holding the bulb in place, remove the old bulb and slide in the new one. They usually have a notch on them so they fit in the housing assembly correctly. This is necessary as bulbs have several different filaments, each which must point to a specific reflector in the headlight assembly for the headlamp to function correctly. Be careful not to touch the glass part of the new bulb during installation (the oils on your fingers can cause the bulb to heat up and burn out prematurely) and be sure to replace the rubber plug over the bulb unit in the engine compartment (because if moisture gets into the headlight, you’ll get a foggy headlamp and you’re in for a pricey replacement).
Replacing the old headlamp assembly, like mine, is even easier. On my car the headlights are held in place with a flexible bracket which has four screws holding it onto the car. Simply unscrew two of the four screws, bend up the bracket, remove the old headlight and unplug the electrical plug. Then put in the new headlight assembly, reinstall the plug and reinstall the screws. Unlike the bulb only replacement, you will need to realign the headlights because the lamp will not sit in the housing in the exact same way as the old one did. If you look on the sides of the lamp there will be a screw behind the mounting bracket on the top and side of the lamp. Tightening or loosening these screws will tilt the headlamp up and down and side to side. Check your manual for the proper headlamp alignment for your vehicle, but aiming them at a wall at night is a usually a good way to tell if one of your lamps is askew.Windshield wipers are hot right now. Hollywood even just made a movie about them, called Flash of Genius. If you doubt the transcendent genius of the windshield wiper, watch the movie and try driving in the rain without them, just not near me. But when the rubber blades start to wear out and you get chattering, squeaky and streaky wipers, it’s time for a replacement. I’ll be replacing my wipers with winter blades which is heavy duty and especially good at removing snow and ice. They cost marginally more and are worth every penny if you live in a snowy area.

First, find out what size wipers you need for your car. It’ll usually be around 14-18 inches. For the vast majority of cars there are three attachment systems but most replacement wipers have clasps that fit all four styles. The first style is the male pin arm (shown in the picture), where there is a 3/16th inch pin on the arm which is inserted into the blade assembly and snaps into place. The hook arm style has a hook which slides around the clip and snaps into place. The bayonet arm is a flat arm with a small pin which snaps onto the wiper blade. Lastly there is the female pin arm which has a small hole at the end of the wiper arm through which a pin attaches to the wiper blade. If you’re unsure which blades fit your car (some might not be universal) then ask your auto parts store clerk to help you find the right one. They can also explain how the snap works on the replacement blades. This is a very easy job which anyone can do themselves.

Making Wine Labels!

Aside from actually producing it, the best part about making wine is creating the labels. The work is done and now it's time to create your own special stamp. I usually look for inspiration in recent trips I've done, so I decided to label my 2009 vintage with an Icelandic theme, as I went to Iceland this past summer. Check out these labels from the 2009 vintage!

"Miðnætursól" means "midnight sun" in Icelandic. And yes this picture was taken at midnight, only a few miles from the arctic circle!

"Svartur Lundey" means "black puffin". Puffins are cute seabirds common in Iceland. They're also delicious!

"Jökull" means "glacier" in Icelandic. There are no shortage of glaciers in this beautiful country!
Stay tuned for a report from bottling day, and of course taste testing!

December's New Amsterdam Market

Another New Amsterdam Market is in the books, and Manhattan Meadery was there. Sure it snowed a foot the day before, but the crowds were undetered. The markets will be back next fall, or perhaps this spring!

And be sure to check out our latest retailer- Dandelion Wine in Greenpoint!

Street Find: Track Bike Wheel!

Only in New York City would you find something like this in the trash. Something as hip as a track bike wheel and something so pricey just thrown in the trash. For those not in the know, a track bike, aka single speed bike, aka fixie, is a one speed road bike originally ridden on bike tracks, then by bike messengers, and now by by hipsters. Some bikes are specially built for this purpose and others are converted from road bikes. And you see them everywhere in New York.

This is what is known as a "flip flop" wheel because it has gears on both sides. You can turn it around and it can be a fixed gear (where the cranks are always directly connected to the wheel via the chain) or a coaster brake (where you can stop pedaling and coast, and then peddle backwards to stop). The bearings need a rebuild, the tire needs to be replaced and it is seriously out of true, but this wheel is quite repairable. And not cheap to replace. Now that I have the most expensive part of a fixed gear bike, maybe I should build one for myself!

Street Find: Cast Iron Pan

Uninitiated trash pickers might recoil at the thought of finding a pan on the street, but this is no ordinary pan, this is a Lodge cast iron skillet, similar to another Lodge skillet I found a few years ago. So you can imagine how excited I got when I saw this pan sitting in the garbage last week near my New York City apartment!

Cast iron pans literally last forever. I have another cast iron skillet from the late 1800's that has been in my family for generations. So wouldn't it be a shame to throw out something so useful and durable? Even if it needs a little TLC? So here's how to bring a crusty and rusty cast iron pan back to life.
There are several ways to clean old cast iron pans which are covered in grime and crust. Ideally I like to use elbow grease to clean things rather than chemicals. But you need to bring out the big guns with pans that are in bad shape like this one, namely oven cleaner. A chemical free option might be to bake the pan in your oven on the cleaning setting or putting in a hot wood fire to bake off the crud.

I'm going to use oven cleaner to clean this pan. Oven cleaner contains lye, which is sodium hydroxide, also known as caustic soda. It's a corrosive alkaline which means that it is a base (a pH of approx. 13), or the opposite of an acid (low pH). The lye will dissolve the organic matter on the pan, including rock-hard crusty stains. Wear gloves and eye protection as lye will also dissolve your skin! Follow the directions on the can. You may need to reapply a few times for problem areas.

If your problem is a rusty pan, rather than a crud covered pan, try soaking in a solution of white vinegar and water (50/50) for a few hours and then scrubbing. The acid in the vinegar will dissolve the rust.
Clean the pan thoroughly to remove all the oven cleaner. The lye will also remove all of the seasoning in the pan, taking the pan down to bare metal. You will now have what is basically a brand new pan. The seasoning is essentially bits of food and fat which are lodged in the cracks and crevices of the pan, creating an all-natural non-stick surface. Much better than toxic Teflon! But with this seasoning removed, you will need to re-season.
Take the pan and rub it with bacon fat or cooking oil. Put the pan in the oven at 350 degrees for about an hour. The pan is now ready to use! Every time you cook in the pan, it will continue the seasoning process. This is also why you shouln't soak cast iron or scrub with soap as this can dissolve the seasoning. After cooking a few rounds of fatty food like bacon, the pan will achieve optimum seasoning and will be the perfect pan for foods like eggs, which are notorious for sticking to other types of pans. And you'll be able to enjoy your cast iron pan forever!

How to Tune Up a Car

First things first- What exactly is a tune-up? As a non-mechanic do-it-yourselfer, I define a tune-up as routine maintenance that is done infrequently. There's nothing actually wrong with the car, you just need to do all those things listed in the manual that are done rather infrequently. Things like changing the spark plugs, changing the transmission and differential oil, changing the air filter, flushing the radiator, etc. Check your manual for how often these things have to be done. On many cars, it's a very infrequent occurrence. However, failing to do these things will lead to premature failure and expensive repairs. Properly maintaining a car will maintain power, efficiency and performance and will prevent premature wear. If you want your car to last a long time, be sure to perform routine maintenance. It's easy and will save you a lot of money in the long run.

In this post, I'll talk about a tune-up I recently did on my Jeep Cherokee. Doing these things yourself will save a lot of money over a mechanic but paying a mechanic to do these things will still save a lot of money over ignoring these tasks and paying a mechanic a lot more later for expensive repairs.First- the transmission! If you want the specifics on Jeeps- check this out.

This is a manual transmission and changing the oil is a straightforward job, though in reality it can be a painstaking and slow process. There are two plugs on the transmission, a drain plug and a fill plug. The drain plug is at the bottom of the transmission. Unscrew and drain into a drain plan.
The plug has a magnet which collects the metal particles from the transmission. If it's fine metal, you're all good. If you have chunks on the magnet, there is a serious problem. My Jeep has 160,000 miles on the original clutch and transmission- and I'm not really sure when the transmission oil was changed last- but the metal particles on the magnet were still like a very fine clay. The recommended replacement period for transmission fluid is 30,000 miles on my Jeep, which I'm pretty sure I missed!
The other plug is the fill plug. With the drain plug cleaned and reinstalled, fill the transmission with new transmission oil. But herein lies a problem. Because you're under the car, there isn't an easy way to pour in the new oil. (Note that automatic transmissions are different and most need to be filled from the engine compartment- check your manual).
You can pump the oil in or try siphoning it. I did this project on a cold day and the oil was like molasses. I aimed a hair dryer at it which warmed it up and decreased the viscosity of the oil. It still took two hours to fill the transmission, but it worked! When the transmission is full, no additional oil can be added the transmission without it draining out of the fill hole. Then simply reinstall the fill plug.
Filling the transfer case is even easier. The transfer case is where the power of the transmission is transfered to the front and rear wheels. If you have a regular two wheel drive car, you will not have a transfer case, because the power from the transmission goes directly to the front or rear wheels, not both. The transfer case has two plugs- a fill plug and a drain plug. Check your manual, but my Jeep calls for automatic transmission fluid for the transfer case. Remove the drain plug and drain the old oil and fill with new oil, in the same manner as with the transmission. This will be easier because the automatic transmission fluid is less viscous than gear oil and there is less to add to the transfer case.
Next lets change the differential axle oil. The differential is the part of the car that takes the power from the drive shaft and turns the axle, and hence the wheels. Not all cars have these. Front wheel drive cars for example are typically driven by drive shafts directly from the transmission. To drain my Jeep's differential, you need to remove the differential plate and let the oil drain out, clean the surfaces, apply a gasket sealing material, reinstall the plate and fill the differential up to the fill hole. If you're lazy you could always siphon or pump out the old fluid. On my Jeep, this takes the same gear oil as the transmission. The fill hole in the front was a 1/2" socket hole and the rear was only a small plastic stopper which plugged the hole.
Now let's change the air filter! You can't really tell by looking at an air filter whether it needs to be changed (but if it looks terrible, it probably is), so check your manual to determine the recommended replacement periods. A clogged air filter will rob your engine of power and efficiency and if it gets bad enough, cause your engine to run rich (too much gas in the gas/air mixture) and harm the engine.

To replace the filter (at least on my Jeep), unsnap the clasps on the side of the filter box and the top will slide off the bottom. Remove the old filter and vacuum out any crud in the bottom of the filter box. Replace with a new filter and reinstall the filter box lid. Easy! Next- spark plugs! Spark plugs do exactly what the name implies- they create a spark which ignites the fuel/air mixture at the exact right time to push the piston down, turn the crankshaft and send power to the transmission. But over time, the spark plugs wear out and become "fouled". They don't do their job as well and the efficiency and power of the engine is compromised. You might have a rough idle or even some of the cylinders not working properly. Remove the spark plug wires and then remove the plugs with a special spark plug wrench on your socket wrench. Do this on a cold engine only!
Reinstall the new spark plugs, be suring to torque them (measured with a torque wrench) to the proper level. Also be sure to check the gap- which is the distance between the center diode and the arm that reaches over the spark plug. This is where the spark jumps when the engine is running and the distance needs to be checked with a feeler guage (which checks width) to match manufacturer's specifications. Otherwise the spark will jump too soon or too late and the engine will not run properly. This may also be a good time to change your spark plug wires. These can also wear out, become less efficient and harm the performance of your engine. Check your manual for recommended replacement intervals.

Take a look at the difference between new and old! My engine ran much smoother after this job. These spark plugs were overdue for a change.
Be sure to check your car's manual, which will give you information on how often to do routine maintenance and what types of fluids, filters and spark plugs you should use. It is important to do maintenance as frequently as it is recommended by the manufacturer. This will ensure that your car will run smoothly for a very long time. We don't keep our cars around for a long time these days, because they wear out and we buy new ones. But a properly maintained car will last for a very long time and will save you a lot of money. Having a properly maintained car will run better, burn less gas and will not need to be replaced as often, which is thrifty and good for the environment.

Even if you do not do the maintenance on your car yourself, understanding exactly what your mechanic is doing will make you a more educated consumer. Most mechanics are honest and hard working craftsmen but there are always horror stories about unscrupulous mechanics defrauding customers. If you have a general idea how cars work and what mechanics are talking about, you won't be taken advantage of. Plus you will get a much better deal because you can compare the usually expensive car dealer with a more reasonably priced neighborhood shop.

I don't fix everything on my car, somethings are beyond my ability, but I always know what is wrong with my car before I pay someone to fix it and I always shop around for the best price and the highest quality service so the problem will be fixed correctly the first time. But many things can be fixed yourself- you'll save money, have fun, and have the satisfaction of knowing you are taking care of your car yourself.

Rust, The Relentless Enemy

Nary a year ago I spent an afternoon repairing rust spots on my Jeep. But rust is a relentless enemy. You cannot defeat rust, you can only hope to contain it. The work I did last year was not for nothing, as it kept the rust from spreading and despoiling my beautiful semi-antique Jeep. So this past weekend, I fixed the resurgent rust and turned back my Jeep's body clock, again.
There were two main rust sections, which each needed to be ground out and filled with fiberglass body filler.
I pried out all the old body filler and took an angle grinder to the rust. I removed the rust and the paint around the rust. You don't want to leave any rust as it can cause premature failure of the repair. A rust inhibiting treatment can be applied to the repair to prevent rust recurrence.
Fiberglass body filler is also known by the commercial name Bondo. It's a two part putty which hardens in a matter of minutes into a sandable repair.
It may take a couple of rounds of Bondo and sanding to get a smooth surface which matches the profile of the car.
When the repair is smooth, you apply auto body primer. This provides a good bond for the paint and ensures a good color match with the rest of the paint.
Auto body mechanics are true artists which can do amazing things with metal and Bondo. I on the other hand can do repairs which look good from five feet or more!
But this repair isn't meant to be perfect. It's meant to be a a quick and inexpensive fix which gets rid of ugly rust which can spread and make your car generally look terrible.