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A car service in winter may be very different from servicing in the summer. Extremes of weather may be experienced in the UK in the winter and your car should be prepared for these circumstances. Low temperatures such as that experienced in Shropshire, England in 1982 of -26C. Another low was experienced in Norfolk, England in July 1962!

Cold temperatures can be the main cause of strain on your car’s mechanics. Your car battery should be checked before winter sets in as it will come under additional load because of the greater drain on its power due to darker mornings and evenings. Some jump leads stored in the car is a good idea as your battery can give up at any time. The larger amount of moisture in winter, combined with low temperatures may lead to a small amount of continuous current leak from batteries, and it is worth greasing the terminals and keeping them clean to prevent corrosion. A good service will also check the strength of a battery which needs to be in top condition. A modern calcium silver battery will provide far better cold starting performance than the old lead acid batteries.

Anti-freeze is one of the most important elements of preparing a car for winter. The water in an engine’s coolant system may freeze in a very low temperature and this could crack the engine block. Anti-freeze prevents this from happening and is generally mixed in a 50/50 propoertion with de-ionised water. This will protect the engine down to a temperature of -34C, which should prevent any problem during a British winter. Anti-freeze also inhibits engine corrosion and provides water pump lubrication but this effect degrades over time meaning that a standard green anti-freeze should be changed every two years. A newer type of anti-freeze is an orange or red liquid that contains organic acids and should never be mixed with its green counterpart. This sort of anti-freeze will last for a period of up to 5 years.

Tyres are another important aspect to look out for, as wet conditions require greater depth of tread for optimum braking. The minimum legal limit for tread depth in the UK is 1.6mm in the middle three quarters of the tire. Correct tyre pressure is another factor that greatly affects tyre performance and should be checked every couple of weeks. One other thing to remember is to check your spare tyre as this can often be overlooked.

And lastly a good winter service won’t overlook your wipers, washers and lights all crucial for your safety in inclement weather and also your MOT.

So, whether you have a Volkswagen, Mercedes, BMW, Audi or a truck or van ensure that your vehicle is prepared with sufficient car servicing.

admin Automotive

Does minoxidil work? An important question, especially if you are suffering from hair loss. Discovered like many things — completely by accident — as a solid treatment to re-grow your hair.

Recommended by the American Academy of Dermatology and approved by the FDA (Food & Drug Administration) several years ago. With all this it would be easy to assume that it is of its self a complete hair restoration system.

First we must answer the question — “What causes hair loss?” The majority of hair loss is linked to a hormone called DHT (Dihydrotestosterone). A necessary part of your blood chemistry which — as time goes by — progressively makes hair follicles thinner and thinner causing the hair to fall out.

It stimulates hair re-growth working best where the hair has thinned — on the crown of the head in men and on the forehead in women.

Minoxidil does a great job re-growing hair, but it does prevent further hair loss. So a “two tiered” system must be employed to get the results folks are looking for. Stopping hair loss and promoting hair re-growth.

Obviously the most effective hair recovery system would need this two pronged attack. Minoxidil applied topically for hair re-growth and something to reduce the effects of DHT. An oral supplement which would attack the problem of hair loss.

Science understood that DHT could be effectively reduced by certain vitamins, minerals and a well know prostate herb “Saw Palmetto” — safe for use by both men and women.

This created a winning combination of hair re-growth and and a system for stopping balding. A two tiered solution to the problem.

The biggest drawback — it takes time to see results. 2 to 4 months of daily use to see the positive results — for both men and women — and it can take 6 months to 12 months to see visible results. As you can tell it is not a quick fix and patience is required.

The real question then becomes not does minoxidil work? But rather does minoxidil work for YOU?

Conclusion Over all minoxidil works it is effective at re-growing hair, but you will only see acceptable results when it is used in combination with a hair stop loss system. Does it work for everyone? No some people use it incorrectly or they don’t give it enough time.

admin Health