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Last week I took a look at some of the car wash options available to you. So this week I would like to share the experience I had the one and only time I decided to splurge and take my car to an auto detailer for a really thorough clean.

My daughter had been complaining about how old my van was looking so I thought that, since I couldn’t afford a new car, I would at least make this one look as good as it possibly could.

Being a careful shopper I googled “Auto Detailers” in my area and came up with several options. I called a number of them to get an idea of the price and was quoted anywhere from $120.00 to $175.00. A few places said they couldn’t give me an exact price without seeing my car first. Not wanting to bother with an estimate I decided to simply go with the cheapest set quote. I called back to confirm the price and I made an appointment. I was told it would take about 5 hours.

I arrived on time and dropped off my van. Five hours later I returned and was told the price would be $150.00. When I said that wasn’t the price I was told over the phone the manager came in and berated me for bringing in a dirty car and not telling them I had a dog. I was stunned. He offered to split the $30.00 difference but I said that if he felt the job was worth $150.00 then I would pay $150.00, which I did.

When I got home I took a closer look at my car and was really upset to see that they had not cleaned it as meticulously as I had hoped. The tire rims were still dirty, they had not cleaned behind the sun visors and a storage drawer under the seat had not been cleaned either.

I was so upset with the whole experience I started to cry. My young daughter became very indignant on my behalf and said I should go back and complain but I just didn’t have the heart. That was the last time I ever took my car to be detailed.

Now I understand that my experience may be very different from that of others’. I am sure that many of you out there have had very positive experiences when taking your vehicle in for detailing but for those who have never tried it and are curious here are my suggestions.

Do not take in a dirty car. And by dirty I don’t mean junk all over the floor. I had removed everything from my car except the winter dirt and grime from the floor and the dust from the dash. So make sure you clean your car first before you take it in to be cleaned. I had no idea that most people who get this done simply want to maintain their immaculate, high end cars.

Secondly, tell them if you have a dog. This apparently makes a difference to the work involved and subsequently the price.

Thirdly, take it in for an estimate just to make sure you are not caught off guard as I was.

And finally, if your car is not a high-end vehicle, make sure you choose the location very carefully. I took it to an auto detailer in an upscale neighborhood because it was close to the subway. Wrong!! I got the feeling that my van was not nice enough to be taken there even though I was paying the same money as everyone else. I may have had better luck choosing a place closer to home.

Although the temperatures may not reflect it, it’s official. Spring is here and with spring comes the annual spring cleaning. We want to get rid of all that grime, dirt and dust of winter, from our homes and our cars. We want our vehicles to sparkle like they did when they were new.

Well perhaps I am being slightly optimistic, but a clean car certainly does look a whole lot better. And cleaning your car isn’t just for cosmetic reasons. It’s important to make sure that you wash off harmful substances before they can damage the finish on your vehicle. For example, bird droppings and tree sap, if left for any period of time, can be particlarly harmful.

So which is the best way to wash your car? Some like to do it at home in the driveway, on a nice bright, sunny day; the picture of domestic peace and well being. But doing it at home may not be the best thing for your vehicle or the environment. Some products you might use, like dish detergent for example, are not be designed for cars and can be too abrasive for the finsh. Also, at-home washes tend to use more water and the runoff can be harmful to the environment.

So if you decide to go to a car wash instead you have three basic choices. The first is the old fashioned, self-serve, coin-operated wash where you do all the work yourself. This is better than doing it at home because the cleaning solutions are designed specifically for cars and the runoff is likely disposed of in a more environmentally-friendly manner.

Then there are two types of automatic car washes. With one, you drive onto a conveyor belt and your car is moved through the wash facility. Brushes and other cleaning mechanisms actually come in contact with your vehicle. You can choose various options like the “bottom blaster” and waxes and the like.

Because some owners prefer not to have their vehicle touched by brushes and risk damage to the finish, there is a second type of automatic car wash known as the “touchless car wash.” You drive your vehicle into a bay and remain staionary, while machines move around your car and clean it that way. I personally find that a touchless wash does not do as good a job, but again there is the finish you may want to to consider.

How often should you wash your car? Obviously it should be more than once a year! How often though really depends on your vehicles exposure to the elements and to corrosive materials such as salt. But washing your car a couple of times a month should do it. This helps avoid harmful substances from staying on your vehicle for any period of time.

There is also the ultimate in car washes – auto detailing; an extensive, expensive car wash option. I decided to treat my car to detailing once and next week I’ll share that experience with you.

It has been an unbelievable winter for drivers. We have been hit, and hit hard, by the worst winter driving conditions this city has seen in a long time. So it feels great to be able to say goodbye to winter and hello spring!!

Even though we are not completely out of the woods yet we know that those snowy, icy, treacherous conditions will be behind us within the next few weeks.

And now we can look forward to … construction season!!

Well, if it’s not one thing it’s another. Because the weather has been so bad this winter many of the roads are in terrible shape. As the snow melts and the temperatures climb we are hit with pothole after pothole. We can see cracks in the asphalt and we can certainly feel how rough some of those road surfaces are.

Even this week I noticed a jump in the number of overnight work crews on the 401, with some scheduled maintenance on the 409 and the 427 as well.

So how can you keep on top of it? Well, we at the 680 Traffic Department will always do our best to cover as much as we can. But there are other tools at your finger tips as well. One of these tools is the TripInfo: 416-599-9090. It is a traveller information phone line that, among other things, provides scheduled road closure information for Ontario Ministry of Transportation highways and other streets within the City of Toronto.

Because there is so much information it can be a bit tricky and time consuming to navigate through all the choices. But if you go to their website at http://www.toronto.ca/transportation/tripinfo/index.htm you can get a list of the appropriate number codes for different routes. For example, #451 will connect you to the scheduled road construction on the 401 in Toronto, # 112 will connect you to the daily closures reports for Toronto south etc.

Now it’s time to get out your calendar. I can tell you right now that the DVP is scheduled to close the weekend of May 3-4th and Sept 6-7th for maintenance work, and the Gardiner is also scheduled to be closed for maintenance work April 12-13th and September 20-21st.

Construction season is tough on all of us. But it beats the alternative, namely roads that are almost impossible to drive on. Stick with us here at 680 and we’ll help you get through it.

In last week’s blog, I said I was going to look into the rumor that you could apply to the city for compensation if your vehicle suffers damage from hitting a pothole. Well I did … and you can!!

But making a claim for damages and actually receiving compensation are two very different things.

I will tell you how to submit a claim in just a second but first I need to stress that the burden of proof lies with you. That means you have to prove that the city has in some way been negligent or careless; for example, that the pothole had already been reported to the appropriate authorities prior to your car being damaged and that nothing had been done about it.

Other evidence can also be useful. If you can, try and get testimony from other drivers and area residents in order to verify the existence of the troublesome pothole. If it is safe to do so, taking pictures and measurements may also help your case.

Once you have all your evidence, you need to write a letter that includes your name, phone number and address as well as the date. You also need to include the date and location of the occurrence and give details of exactly what happened as well as an estimate of the damages.

If you plan on making a claim, it is really important that you do it as soon after the incident as possible.

When your claim letter is ready call (416) 397-4212 and a recorded message will tell you how to either mail, e-mail or fax it in.

Each claim is forwarded to the city’s insurance adjustors for an evaluation. A letter of acknowledgement should be mailed out to you within a few weeks. This letter is simply to inform you that the claim has been received.

But don’t hold your breath. As in most matters such as these, the evaluation process can take awhile.

Good luck!!