Top Tips to Save You Money on Car Maintenance

Today's post is brought to you in conjuction with the wisdom of my husband C, a mechanic who is passionate about people looking after their cars. We want to share with you a few easy ways to look after your car, and hopefully save you money down the track with preventative maintenance!

On to the tips!

* Regular servicing. It doesn't have to be with the dealer, but always use a mechanic who looks after your car for a fair price. A service usually includes engine oil change and a new oil filter. Sometimes it will include a new air filter if you need it. Some mechanics will also do a full safety inspection. A regular service ensures that any small issues are caught before they become big ones. Eg. a good mechanic will identify if you need a wheel alignment before you incur the cost of two new front tyres. You should have all your oils looked at at least once a year - for a front wheel drive the gearbox oil, a rear wheel drive will need gearbox and diff oils checked, 4WDs need both diffs, gearbox and transfer case oils. Even people who think they know all about home mechanics regularly miss these!

* Tyres. If you don't know how to check your tyre inflation and wear, ask your mechanic or learn how yourself from a knowledgable friend or YouTube. Under-inflation costs you in the long run as your car will use more fuel. Improperly aligned tyres will wear unevenly and quickly, costing you money to replace and are also dangerous. Bald tyres will aquaplane in the wet.

* Occasionally drive with the radio off and listen to the noises your car makes. Any clanks and clunks and pings that you may not have noticed before may indicate something is wearing. Don't be afraid to tell your mechanic about odd noises. Eg. a hard knock while going over a bump may indicate a worn bush or ball-joint.

* Pay attention to indicator panel warning lights. In modern cars, they only come on for a reason. Even if the car appears to be driving fine, take it the mechanic - something may be causing you to use more fuel or be causing wear/damage in a major part that can cost you later. If your car has a ABS brake or SRS airbag light on do not drive it anywhere except to a mechanic to get it checked.  Both these lights indicate issues that can result in major injury if these components fail.

* Wash your car with a proper car wash product. This makes your paint last longer because it prevents dirt scratching the surface and protects your top coat. It also gives you a chance to give your car a good once over. Look out for broken lights, bits falling off, leaks etc.

And lastly, a bonus list!

Top five reasons cars fail roadworthy checks 
(note some of these can get you fined if stopped and inspected by the transport department)

- window tint - a single bubble or haze is an immediate fail
- inside edge of tyres are bald
- low brake pads
- steering wheel damage
- bulbs or indicators not working

I hope these tips are helpful, and if you have any questions for the mechanic, let me know - he's happy to do an "Ask the Mechanic" Q&A post in future!

B is for Bath - A-Z Travel Guide Linkup

I can't describe how excited I was to visit Bath. After a steady diet of Jane Austen in my formative years, of course I yearned to walk the streets of the place where her characters and she herself spent so much time.

The Pump Room! Where the Georgians went every day to "take the waters". The signs seemed magical to me, like books brought to life - but of course Austen was writing from life experience after all. 

The Pump Room is just one of many wonderful sights to see in Bath. Starting at the bottom of the hill there is the Baths themselves (interesting tour) and the Cathedral (many famous people buried there, and beautiful in its own right). 

Further up the slope is the Jane Austen Museum (spent a lovely time there!) and the Assembly Rooms, location of so much of the drama in Northanger Abbey. 

At the top of the hill is the Royal Crescent - one of the most beautiful examples of residential architecture you will ever see. I couldn't help but imagine the carriages coming and going and the people promenading in the afternoon in Austen's time. 

On my way back down I discovered paths through gardens and woods. How delightful! And then I stumbled across the very spot where Captain Wentworth caught up with Anne Elliot, I'm sure of it...

If it wasn't for the awful backpackers hostel I was in, Bath would have been 100% perfect. Even non-Austen fans would love its gorgeous sandstone buildings and deep history. 

Linking up with Tiffin Bite-Sized Adventures A-Z Guidebook

Dark Universe at the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium

Hubby and I are always on the lookout for interesting date ideas and after watching the TV series "Cosmos" last year the Planetarium has been on our list. 

Though both a bit geeky we don't know a lot about astronomy so on Saturday night - for the price of going to the movies -  we decided to go see the Neil deGrasse Tyson-narrated show "Dark Universe". It was amazing! The show was projected into the roof dome, and sitting back in chairs that are angled towards the ceiling you really feel like you are flying through space. Pretty trippy! 

And the show itself was mind-blowing, being focused on the latest developments in astro-physics and our knowledge of the universe. It went for about half an hour, and was followed by a look at Brisbane's night sky with one of the resident experts.  

The session was surprisingly popular and nearly full so I was glad we booked. I would recommend Dark Universe for teens and up, but the Planetarium has plenty of different shows that can be enjoyed by all ages. 

Have you ever been to the Planetarium? Do you ever think about how looking at the stars is looking into the past?

A Pirate's Life For Me

On Saturday I spied a tweet saying that an old ship was going to be docked at Southbank for the weekend. 

Upon further investigation, I discovered it was the Notorious, a replica 15th Century Spanish caravel. 

As I'm a big fan of all things nautical, we headed in to the city to take a look. Apparently it has been part of the filming of the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie at the Gold Coast. 

It was so tiny! It blew my mind to think this is the kind of ship those explorers in the Age of Discovery sailed across the world in!

A guy from Port Fairy built it. Imagine that dream. One day waking up and deciding you're going to scratch-build a historical sailing ship!

There's a story there's a ship like this wrecked off the coast of Victoria. If so it would predate most Dutch exploration of this area of the world. What a good mystery! I'm going to have to find out more. 

Have you ever been on a sailing ship? Yo ho!

Crowdfunding Convert

Have you ever backed a project financially? Flashback ten years ago and this would have meant you were an investor with thousands to splash about on things like property development. 

But now, thanks to the magic of crowdfunding, you can contribute even just $5 towards something you think is worthy. 

I must admit I have always been a but sceptical about the begging-bowl aspect of people launching a crowdfunded project. I must have seen it as a bandwagon upon which every struggling artist and tech entrepreneur had jumped. "Give me money to make my amazing app a reality!" "Cash me up & I'll put on an exhibition!" I imagined them shouting. 

And sure, there are thousands of projects out there I wouldn't fund because of disinterest, but also because I judge that the person or group doesn't "deserve" my money. 

Last night, after watching a partially crowdfunded movie, I'm willing to review my opinions. Why? Because I'm always whinging about the lack of original content in film and on tv. Sure, I'll go and watch the lastest sequel in a big franchise but I'm also wanting to hear new stories, about new characters in new worlds. 

And the reality is, tv and movie studios just don't like gambling their money on things they aren't 100% sure will make a profit. Thus, we get a lot of stuff on our screens that has always proved to be a sure-fire hit formula in the past. 

The beauty of crowdfunding is people who normally wouldn't get a cent of studio backing can ask the general public if they'll pay for them to create their content. Genius! Especially when it's people who are already known good performers or creators. 

In this case, I watched the Veronica Mars movie. Previously a tv show that was canned, the star Kristin Bell got a big-screen sequel off the ground with the power of crowdfunding. Without this revenue-raising platform, the project would have been almost certainly dead in the water. Fans were willing to pay to have another story created for their favourite character. 

Another great crowdfunded project I'm looking forward to is Alan Tudyk's Con Man. This is going to be a web series - a medium along with streaming services that I think may eventually 

 kill commercial tv. Funded by thousands of dollars of Firefly (Alan's previous tv show) fans' money, the series is filming at present.

So, I'm a total convert. If crowdfunding can help creative people put great movies and tv shows in front of my eyeballs, I say we should put our hands in our pockets occasionally, instead of paying studios and watching advertisements. 

Have you ever backed a crowdfunded project? What was it? 

Scrapbooking Camp at Lake Perserverence

Regular readers (hello!) will know that every year in June my mum and I go to a camp in the bush for the weekend for a scrapbooking retreat. Why? Because we love it!

Not only is it an escape from the busyness of everyday life, who wouldn't like a few days breathing fresh air and being surrounded by nature?

On top of that; someone else does all the cooking and cleaning, you get to share a cabin with friends just like school camp, AND you can spend as much time as you like scrapbooking. And for most of us ladies (yes, it's all female, I wish there were more guys into this hobby), that's nearly every waking moment!

Mum and I like to go for walks in the early morning. It's usually quite brisk! The lake looks different every year. This year it was quite misty. 

We had an ace time again this year, I was genuinely sad to come home on the Sunday. 

Here's a pic of mum brushing up on her photography!

Do you ever "go away" for your hobby? Where and what's it like?

A-Z Guidebook: Ayutthaya

In 2006, I took off on a mad adventure. Inspired by my travels in Europe the year before, I decided a solo jaunt through SE Asia was in order. On my own. When I look back at it now, I can't help but think how worried my parents must have been. Heck, I worry just thinking about how crazy it was!

One of the highlights of my time in Thailand was a day-trip to the ancient capital of Ayuttaya. Never heard of it? Neither had I, but my parents had recommended it having been there on a previous trip. Google maps calls the area Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya.

After an early morning drive in a packed minivan from Bangkok, we arrived. What a place! The complex of ancient ruins is vast, and you could spend hours wandering around. As my tour guide kept repeating - "many stupa, many temple!".

I took this photo with the timer on my very new digital camera, and is one of the very few of me on this trip. The price you pay for traveling alone BEFORE the advent of the Selfie Stick! The headless Buddhas were damaged in one of the wars between the old kingdom of Siam and their neighbours the Cambodians.

Many statues are smashed and the heads thrown to the ground, but the Thai still venerate them by draping them in cloth and flowers. It was a hot day but I bought a palm fan from a roadside seller and pressed on, taking in the history and spending a lot of time looking up at tall ruins.

For the purposes of this post, I'm only sharing one photo but if you're interested in SE Asian history, I recommend googling some more. The city ruins and stupas are truly amazing, as are the massive statues, still standing after so many centuries have passed.

This post is for the A-Z Guidebook linkup on Tiffin Bite Sized Food Adventures. Be sure and check out the other posts!