| Don't miss any Bottom Line Secrets. Add our address, bottomlinesecrets@news.bottomlinepublishing.com, to your Address Book or Safe List. Learn how here. April 27, 2011    
Dear healthwellness82@gmail.com, If your car smells funny, it may mean that there’s a serious problem. Eric Peters, Washington, DC-based automotive columnist and author of Automotive Atrocities! The Cars We Love to Hate, describes seven common car smells and explains which odors are normal, even if they are annoying, and which ones are evidence of something wrong. I know I could use a little calm -- I bet you could, too. Roger Walsh, MD, PhD, author of Essential Spirituality: The 7 Central Practices to Awaken Heart and Mind, has an easy meditation technique that is so effective for reducing stress you can use it even if you don’t meditate -- and if you already do it will enhance your experience. All the best,  Jessica Kent Editor BottomLineSecrets.com Don’t forget to check out Bottom Line President Marjory Abrams’ latest blog posting: A Good Cry. And don’t forget to share your thoughts on the blog with Margie.  President Reagan's Most Trusted Adviser Reveals What Obama and Bernanke Are Hiding! Before he died, an American Nobel Prize winning economist who helped President Ronald Reagan engineer the economic boom of the 80s gave a chilling and prophetic warning on our governments reckless spending and how it could DESTROY America -- robbing you blind. Following the guidelines of this heroic figure, we put together a powerful, exclusive video revealing what a handful of "in-the-know" experts are doing at this very moment to protect and grow their wealth. This video will show you how you can shadow their exact moves right now. What you are about to view was described by Reagan as "a survival kit for you, for our nation, and for freedom." Does Your Car Smell Funny? Eric Peters Lots of smells can invade an automobile, some that are benign and others that signal trouble. Here, common car smells, what they are trying to tell you and how you or your mechanic can get rid of them... Rotten egg/sulfur smell Especially if it’s very strong and constant, this could be a sign that your car’s catalytic converter isn’t properly processing the by-products of combustion. There could be a problem with the converter itself or with the engine. What to do: Get a constant sulfur smell checked out quickly to avoid ruining the catalytic converter. Cost: A car manufacturer’s factory replacement unit can cost $300 or more. Helpful: Avoid buying gas at lightly trafficked gas stations. The fuel may be old and possibly contaminated, which can trigger problems with your car’s emissions control system and possibly damage the catalytic converter. Gasoline smell All cars built since the early 1980s have vapor-recovery systems designed to prevent gasoline vapors from wafting into the surrounding air. So if you do smell gas, other than when you are filling the tank, it’s possible that your vapor-recovery system isn’t working properly -- or worse, that there’s an actual gas leak somewhere. The latter is an obvious fire hazard. What to do: If the gas smell is strong, it is best not to drive the car at all and instead call for a tow to your dealership or repair shop. The possible repairs could involve problems that range from simply replacing a leaky fuel rail (which connects fuel lines and injectors) to repairing or replacing a gas tank. Helpful: Be sure that you fully tighten your gas cap after filling up. It is an integral part of a modern car’s emissions control system. If you leave it loose, vapors will escape and, in addition to the gas smell, your car’s "check engine" light probably will come on, requiring a visit to a repair shop or auto-parts store to clear the code from the computer that triggers the light (some shops will do it for free). Sickly sweet/oily smell Engine coolant has a very distinctive sweet/oily smell. If you notice this smell outside the car, check underneath for puddles and drips to see if there is a leak somewhere in the cooling system. If you notice this smell inside your car, check for dampness around the passenger side foot well. If you find wetness, you probably have a leaking heater core. A related symptom is a sticky film coming out of the defroster ducts that settles on the windshield. What to do: This is one of those problems that starts out small and gets worse over time, so the sooner you can get it fixed the better. Repairs could range from replacing leaking hoses (a replacement hose costs about $25) to replacing a heater core, which can cost several hundred dollars. Musty/moldy smell Condensation may be collecting in the vehicle’s air-conditioning system instead of draining out as it should. What to do: Look underneath the car in the area near the passenger-side floor pan, usually toward the front, where it meets up with the firewall that separates what’s under the hood from the passenger compartment. If there is mud or caked-on debris, try to wash it away with a garden hose. The air-conditioning system’s drainage holes could be blocked, causing the moisture buildup. If you can’t find anything obvious, it’s a good idea to take the car in for a professional diagnosis. Mold can be unhealthy as well as unpleasant. If the air-conditioning system needs major work or the ducts need to be taken out, it can be a big job costing several hundred dollars. But if it can be cleaned out without disassembly (shops have chemicals and tools for this), then it will cost less. Moldy smells also can be caused by water getting into the carpets from leaky windows or doors. Helpful: Many late-model cars have cabin-filtration systems, but drivers often neglect to periodically clean or replace the filters. Check your owner’s manual to see whether your car has a cabin-filtration system, and follow the recommended service schedule for cleaning and replacement. Acrid/burning hair smell The friction material that lines clutch discs and brake pads can produce this smell, especially during hard use or abuse, such as riding the clutch or brakes excessively. What to do: Try to correlate the smell with the situation. For example, if it arises when you’re descending a long, steep grade, it’s probably coming from the brakes. If it happens when you’re accelerating and you have a manual transmission, it’s more likely to be the clutch. If the brake pads and/or shoes are worn out, they’ll need to be replaced. Replacing front brake pads typically costs less than $100. If the clutch is failing, replacing it can cost $500 to $800. Helpful: Downshift the transmission to a lower gear when going sharply downhill (in automatics, just go down one gear from the "drive" position) to avoid overusing the brakes, which could lead to reduced brake performance as well as excessive wear and tear. If you have a manual transmission, avoid riding the clutch for very long when starting out and when stopping. Smooth, progressive engagement will help extend clutch life. Burning oil smell This often is the result of a failing gasket or seal that lets engine oil seep onto hot engine parts, where it cooks off. The good news is that if the leak is minor (just some light wetness or, at most, a few drops), it’s usually more of an unpleasant annoyance than an urgent problem. The bad news is that small leaks often become bigger leaks. If the oil smell is coming from the tailpipe (look for smoke with a bluish haze), it is a symptom of a worn-out engine in which oil is seeping into the combustion chamber and being burned up along with the air and fuel. What to do: Mention the leak the next time your car is in for service. A repair shop will perform tests to determine the condition of the engine. That "new-car smell" This "chemical" smell is the result of the evaporation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from plastic and rubber -- the materials that are used to make most of the interior parts of the vehicle, such as dashboards, door panels, seat materials and carpets. It typically goes away on its own as the car ages. What to do: Keep the windows open to allow better airflow. Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Eric Peters, a Washington, DC-based automotive columnist and author of Automotive Atrocities! The Cars We Love to Hate (MBI). A member of the International Motor Press Association and the Washington Auto Press Association, he has been writing about cars for 17 years. His next book, Road Hogs (MBI), will be published this year. http://EricPetersAutos.com  Meditation for People Who Don't Like to Meditate Roger Walsh, MD, PhD We have heard all about the benefits of meditating. For decades, studies have shown that meditation helps with depression, anxiety, stress, insomnia, pain, high blood pressure, self-esteem, self-control, concentration and creativity. Yet for many people, meditation seems daunting. Maybe you find it hard to sit still... to clear your mind... to make the time...or to stick with it long enough to experience the effects. Key to success: Choose a technique that suits your personality, schedule and level of experience, then do it consistently. Twenty minutes or more daily is a good goal, but even five minutes is helpful if you do it every day -- and some techniques take almost no time at all. IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER... The methods below are effective yet simple enough for a novice. Start with just a few minutes, and work your way up.
IF YOU HATE TO SIT STILL... Some people can’t stop squirming when they try to meditate. Solution: Moving meditation.
IF YOU CAN’T FIND THE TIME... Some days you may not have even five minutes to meditate -- but you can take just a moment.
If you already love to meditate... If you are an accomplished meditator and want to enrich your experience, try these more advanced techniques... Contemplative reading. Select a brief passage -- two or three sentences -- from a philosophy book, religious text or other writing that is meaningful to you. Read it slowly and reflectively, over and over. If your reading brings up insights, ponder them. If your mind drifts to unrelated thoughts, return to reading. Inquiry. Sit and focus on your breathing. When a thought, feeling, sound or other sensation enters your awareness, instead of turning your attention back to the breath, explore the experience. Does it seem to have a shape or image associated with it? Does it change or fade away as you examine it? Examples...
When a particular sensation passes, return your attention to your breath until the next sensation enters your awareness... then explore this new one. Over time, this enhances awareness and acceptance. Bottom Line/Women’s Health interviewed Roger Walsh, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry and human behavior in the School of Medicine, and of anthropology and philosophy in the School of Humanities, both at University of California, Irvine. He has done extensive research on Asian philosophies, religion and the effects of meditation and has received more than 20 national and international awards. He is author of Essential Spirituality: The 7 Central Practices to Awaken Heart and Mind (Wiley), which contains a foreword by the Dalai Lama. Important: Help your friends get much more out of life -- forward this E-letter to them. Better: Send it to many friends and your whole family. This is a free weekly e-mail service of BottomLineSecrets.com and Boardroom Inc. Boardroom Inc. 281 Tresser Boulevard Stamford, CT 06901-3229 ATTN: Web Team You received this e-mail because you have requested it. You are on the mailing list as healthwellness82@gmail.com. Or... a friend forwarded it to you. Disclaimer: Bottom Line Secrets publishes the opinions of expert authorities in many fields. But the use of these opinions is no substitute for legal, accounting, investment, medical and other professional services to suit your specific personal needs. Always consult a competent professional for answers to your specific questions. Bottom Line Secrets is a registered trademark of Boardroom Inc. Subscribe | Unsubscribe | Update My E-mail Preferences Change My E-mail Address | Contact Us | Privacy Policy Copyright (c) 2011 by Boardroom Inc. |
Single-tasking. A time-crunched society encourages multitasking -- so you sort mail while on the phone and listen to audiobooks while driving. What you may not know: The simple act of focusing fully on a single task is a meditative exercise. It improves your powers of concentration, alleviates stress and boosts mood by enhancing your appreciation of the here-and-now. Try: Once or twice each day, give your complete attention to just one activity. Example: When you fold the laundry, don’t turn on the TV -- just enjoy the softness of the fabrics and the soothing rhythm of your hand motions. 
No comments:
Post a Comment