Tricks Of The Trade Helping You Wrench
DIY Coolant System Flush
Lime and mineral deposits can build up over time inside a radiator, clogging a vehicle's cooling system and causing its engine to overheat. But there's a quick and cost-effective way to flush your radiator by using white vinegar sold at any grocery store. Begin by draining the car's entire cooling system, then refill the radiator with a gallon of white distilled vinegar, making sure to top off the remaining cooling system with water, then idle the engine until it reaches normal operating temperatures. Turn the engine off and let the car cool for no more than three hours before thoroughly flushing the cooling system with water. Vinegar is a mild acid that's safe for human consumption, but strong enough to dissolve those white deposits you can see floating around in your coolant. Vinegar is environmentally safe, so you don't have to be too cautious when draining, but please, make sure to dispose of used coolant responsibly.
Scion Night @ Knott's
For the sixth consecutive year, Scion enthusiasts gathered at Buena Park, CA's Knott's Berry farm, forming the single largest gathering of Scion owners in the country. Which, by default, also makes it the largest in the world. This year, Knott's and Scion paired up to close the park to everyone but Scion owners, and admission was free with the donation of one $10 toy to Toys for Tots. Of the nearly 12,000 enthusiasts in attendance, we managed to catch up with Mike Ma and his 3S-swapped xD, Mattyrattypoo and his boosted orange xB with matching fixie, a party sporting Jeri Lee and friends, and a few thus-far unseen rides we're keeping tabs on. Special shouts go to Team Fuscion for the carney antics, Scion Evolution for the girls, and of course, Scion, for putting the whole thing together.
www.scion.com
Electric Slide
In hybrid news, plug-in hybrid slingers Fisker Automotive recently came up on more than half a billion dollars, courtesy of the US Department of Energy, to help create what the company is hailing as "affordable, fuel-efficient, plug-in hybrid electric cars," slated to retail to the general public as early as the '12 model year with 100 mpg efficiency and MSRPs competitive with traditional gasoline-powered alternatives. The $528.7 million loan is part of the DOE's $25 billion Advanced Technologies Vehicle Manufacturing Loan Program, penned by Congress late last year to help promote development of energy-efficient vehicles-a pie of which long-time electric car maker Zap is rumored to also have gotten a substantial piece. What we want to know: who's going to be the first to make one run 10s, drift the bank at Irwindale, or lap Buttonwillow in under 1:50?
www.fiskerautomotive.com
www.zapworld.com
Mobile Electronics Training
Does it seem like, despite the rough economic climate, the rich just continue to get richer while the rest of us struggle to make ends meet? Looking for a way to use your talents to turn the tables and get your just dues? Look no further than mobile electronics, a purportedly recession-proof industry in need of manpower. Metro Auto Electronics Training Institute can give you the training you're looking for, and even offers federal financial aid, government assistance, Pell Grants, Stafford Loans, and more, for the talented yet particularly cash-strapped among us.
800.649.6387
Team Hybrid Turns 15
California's most predominant import car club celebrates 15 years atop the show tier this year, on the heels of its recent Best Team Overall win at the past Nisei Showoff. January 7th, 2010 will mark the date when, a decade and a half earlier, president James Lin founded the club among friends in his local Oxnard, CA, import car scene. Think about what you were doing to your ride back in '95 (if you were old enough to drive then)-we're going to venture a guess that whatever it was, it wasn't as cutting edge as what James and co. were doing to theirs. Not that we doubt the legit status of any 2NR reader . . . we just know you wouldn't dare call James any less than a true O.G. to his face! It was an honor to have them rep our 10-year party last year; hey James, our invites to yours are in the mail, right?
www.teamhybrid.com
By The Numbers
The total amount of miles traveled by cover car owner Alex Witkin, while showing his WRX during the '07-'08 seasons.
31,248.4