How to Find the Best Used Car

so here are ten commandments on examining a pre-owned car.

1. Carefully examine the body, look for fresh paint jobs or different colors of paint on the body panels. Open the bonnet and look at the paintwork so that you can make out if the car has been repainted or not.
2. Under the bonnet, look for oil leaks and use the dipstick to check the amount of oil. If the level is low, the car hasn’t been looked after properly. Examine the surroundings of the oil filler cap, if you find a white substance it is an indication of a damaged head gasket, replacing which is going to be darn expensive.
3. Check the tyres and the spare tyre to ensure they’re in good condition with plenty of tread. If the tyres are bald, you can bargain up to  Rs 1000 per tyre. Worn tyre edges indicate problems with the wheel alignment.
4. Check for acid wear and tear around the battery areas.  If the battery is not new, there is another chance of decreasing the price of the car by Rs 2,500.
5. Another very important thing to assess is the suspension. Push down on top of the wing each side just once and release, the vehicle should go down and come back up once and stay put. If the car bounces up and down and appears soft, the shock absorbers are faulty. While test driving the car, listen for any ‘thud’ sound coming from the shock absorbers. Replacing them is going to be incredibly expensive, so what I would suggest is, try another car if the suspension is defective.
6. Get inside, check the kilometre reading of the car and calculate with the year of manufacture. There is always a possibility of Odometer tampering irrespective of the meter being mechanical or electronic.
7. Personally speaking, clutch is the most challenging part of a used car. Because, if the car has done more than 50,000 kms, you don’t know when the car is going to break down in the middle of the road due to clutch failure. Unfortunately, there’s probably no practical way to measure the degree of clutch wear. Yet, you can refer this link to get an idea on How to Diagnose a Slipping Clutch.
8. Check ALL electrical components, lightings, dippers, cabin lights, indicators and tail lamps, stereo, windshield washer and wiper and especially, Air Conditioner.
9. Start the engine. It should start at the first attempt without any hiccups. The engine should idle seamlessly without clattering or metallic sounds. With the engine idling, turn the steering wheel right and left and ensure there’s no play in the wheel before the tyres start to turn.
10. Test drive is the most important part of examining a used-car. Drive it for 4-5 kilometers in different road conditions, paying attention to the synchronization of the steering wheel, brake pedals, clutch, and the gear shifts. Drive with AC on/off while climbing a slope, there shouldn’t be an abnormal drop in power when the AC is on.

Fast facts about fasting

It could be an impending wedding or a dream holiday, but all of us think of losing weight just to fit into that one dream suit or dress. A drastic, unhealthy trend has caught the fancy of those desperate to lose weight anyhow. Most people resort to fasting without proper guidance. While fasting for small amounts of time does help cleanse the body of toxins, people have begun to fast for longer time periods. And the immediate effect might be impressive, but is it safe on a long term basis?Forms of fasting

Water fasting: This involves intake of only water and no food. It is very stringent and may lead to multi-nutrient deficiencies.

Juice fasting: Here, you simply take fruit and vegetable juices for detoxification. This involves rapid cleansing and may cause weakness.

Selective food fasting: Certain cereals, fruits and vegetables are permitted but no animal foods are allowed. This is the healthiest form of fasting and can be adhered to for a longer time span.

Many health practitioners are against the idea of fasting. But there are health benefits to it too: Periodic fasting accompanied with healthy eating improves insulin responsiveness, lowers blood cholesterol and prolongs life span. It helps improve the mental stability of people suffering from anxiety and depression. It detoxifies the body, cleanses the blood and improves the functioning of kidneys and liver.

The side effects Fasting involving sole dependence on water and juices has its own side effects, which may not show immediately but will affect you later on. What may seem to you as fat loss is actually plain water loss. Excessive weight loss is often accompanied with vitamins and mineral deficiencies. Fasting for more than 10 days causes the following problems: It leads to hormonal fluctuations which lead to mood swings, irritation and fluctuations in the menstrual cycle. Blood pressure drops and you feel dizzy especially when changing body positions. Muscle weakness and cramps occur due to mineral deficiencies. The drop in blood sugar level makes you lose concentration. You become susceptible to infections. The kidney and liver become weak and their ability to regulate metabolism is compromised.

The right time It is advisable to fast when: You're leading a life of excesses. You're overcoming an emotional attachment to food.

Beetroot wonder

Beetroot is a good source of folic acid, vitamin C, B1, B2, B3, and A. It is also rich in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium.

* It helps improve the quality of blood. It lowers blood pressure and prevents cardiovascular problems.

* The water in which beetroot is boiled is effective in treating pimples and boils.

* It's best to eat beetroot raw as many of its nutrients are lost when it is cooked.

* Beetroot is good for pregnant women because it lowers the risk of neural tube defects in infants. (Text: Hindustan Times)