Detail Your Car for Top Resale Value

To truly get the best resale value out of your car before a sale requires some specific detailing tasks. Your vehicle’s esthetics (eye appeal) will be the first impression it makes upon a potential customer. Unlike a simple wash and wax, detailing goes a bit further with attention to smaller details that cover every area of the car. It requires some time and patience, but the ultimate reward is a vehicle that has reached its maximum potential as far as looks, touch and smell.

Interior-
Start on the interior first. This keeps dust and dirt from landing on clean body panels. Brush out heavy dirt, debris and hair with a stiff whisk broom. Remove the rubber mats and thoroughly vacuum the front, sides and rear carpet. Use a nozzle to reach under the seat. For embedded carpet stains, use some carpet cleaner in a bucket of warm water and a stiff brush. Brush the carpet in a cross-hatch motion and let the solution sit for five minutes. Vacuum all moisture out with a wet-dry vacuum cleaner. Use a mild dish washing soap, warm water and a terrycloth rag to clean the door side panels, console, rear window deck and dashboard. Towel dry and coat the surfaces with either a vinyl protectant or leather conditioner, depending upon the material. If the seats are cloth, use some stain remover to remove dirt, grease, oil and sweat stains, then wet-vacuum the material. Place a few scent appliances under the seat to enhance the interior smell.

Body-
Use car wash soap and a washing mitt to clean the exterior of the vehicle, including the wheels, bumpers and inside the fender wells. Rinse and buff it dry. Apply a good liquid or paste wax in circular motions to the body panels, concentrating on one panel at a time. Allow the wax to dry and then vigorously buff it off with a terrycloth towel. If you have sun fade or paint stains, use a medium-grit polishing compound on the affected area, rubbing it out with circular motions. Then apply the regular wax over it and buff it out. For a deeper paint luster, use a mechanical buffing machine. Clean soft tops with soap and water, then rinse and let air dry.

Use spray-on window cleaner to scrub both the inside and outside of all the windows one at a time. Use cotton or a microfiber cloth to dry them. A window scraper will remove tree sap and bird residue as well as tar and over-spray paint.

Wheels-
Determine if your wheel material is painted steel, chrome or magnesium. Use a stiff cleaning brush and detergent soap to wash the outside surface and tire area of each wheel. Make sure you reach inside crevices, seams and between spokes. Rinse and pat dry. Apply mag polish for magnesium wheels, using a small polishing pad to scrub the surface is circular motions. Rub until all stains and oxidation disappear, then buff away the residue with a cotton cloth. Use a small polishing pad and chrome cleaner for chrome wheels, using the same strokes and buffing technique. For a painted wheel, clean with ordinary soap and water, then use some light or medium-grit polishing compound, if applicable.

Bumpers and Trim-
Several products are available to enhance the bumper and plastic or vinyl trim areas on your car. Armor All is one such treatment, and there are plastic bumper protectants and bumper guard oils. Plastic and rubber bumpers are subject to sun fading and oxidation, so you’ll need to use an abrasive-cleaner polisher to cut through the haze. Use circular scrubbing with a small polishing mitt, and then rub out the residue with a cloth towel. Apply a medium coat of sealer-protectant on the bumper and trim, using a small square of cloth. When applying the sealer-protectant, run a steady straight coating over the area—avoid rubbing back and forth.

What Owning Your First Car Teaches You

There are lots of things in life that we can put down as learning experiences, some of them are almost rites that we have to pass through in order to reach or potential as adults. One such experience or rite is gaining ownership of our very first motor car. Getting a car marks a transition in our lives, it is the point at which we really gain our independence. No longer are we reliant on our parents to ferry us around to where we need to be, we have our own means of getting there, and more importantly getting ourselves home again.

But other than the freedom of independence owning a car also brings with it a new element of responsibility that we have never experienced before. We have to learn about the perils and pitfalls of responsible ownership and just what it costs. Something else you will come to realise pretty quickly is that your friends will never look at you in the same light again.

More Friends Than Ever-
Having access to your own car quite simply means that you can take you friends where they need to go. You are more likely to be invited out to events than you ever were, and people that you only previously said hello to in passing may just want to become your new best friends. What you represent to them is opportunity. You will love the popularity that your car brings you, and your friends will love the fact that it won’t cost them more than the occasional coffee or a token gesture towards petrol money to keep them in your good books.

Of course you may end up with the sense that you are being used and they are only putting up with you because you have a car, and if you can live with that, then fine, but if you can’t you had better keep a calm head on your shoulders and put some effort into discovering which of your friends value you for your friendship and not your transport.

Money Drain-
There is no denying that owning a car is a drain on your finances. You may very well have the mode of transportation that you have always wanted, you just may not be able to take it to all of the places that you wanted because you don’t have money for fuel. There is much more to the financial aspects of owning a running a car than just keeping it topped up with fuel. You will soon find out the reason why people moan about the cost of car repairs, and come to understand what is meant by the sense of dread they experience when the mechanic takes in a long intake of breath before speaking about the problems he has found with your car. There is more to running and maintaining a car than just setting aside money for fuel every month, you are also going to have to set aside some emergency repair money too.

Here are 2 good ways to fix a scratch on your car

A colleague recently asked about fixing a scratch in his brand-new car. This is a basic repair skill that every car owner should know, so we're providing a simple guide.

First, if you don't have time to repair the scratch right away, you should cover it with a piece of tape.

Duct tape is good for this. You should keep a roll in your car anyway for emergency repairs.

The old-school silver-gray tape advertises something is amiss, but you can now buy duct tape in so many colors that you should be able to find some to match your car.

This is a temporary solution, however — a way to prevent water from getting into the scratch and promoting rust.


You have two better options, as long as the scratches aren't wide or so deep that they could be called gouges:

1. A scratch-repair kit
A scratch in your car's finish is fixable without a lot of effort if it isn't deep or wide. Superficial scratches are in what's called the "clear coat," a layer of finish that's transparent and protects the color underneath.

A scratch-repair kit, enables you to blend the scratch into the rest of the finish without having to match paint. It won't look like new, but it will fix the scratch.

2. Touch-up paint
This is more involved. First, go to an auto-supply store and have them match the touch-up color to your make and model.

Next, clean and lightly sand, using fine-grit sandpaper, the scratched area. Then apply several coats of touch-up paint, allowing it try dry in between.

After some more light sanding, apply new clear coat (which can also be purchased at an auto-supply store). When it dries, wax the area.

This will give you a good scratch repair that restores the structure, if not the appearance, of your car's factory finish.

You can also order touch-up kits, with a small pen that contains paint to match your car, along with a clear-coat pen to complete the job. I just ordered one of these to repair a scratch on my car, in fact.

Small dings and scratches are a way of life if you own a car. It's a good idea to deal with them right away.

If you plan to keep your car and want it have a relatively pristine appearance, you can wait for the damage to add up and head to a body shop for a full suite of proper repairs. This will, of course, be far more expensive that the $20 to $50 you might spend on a repair kit or by going the touch-up route. I like to say that a trip to the body shop equals $1,000.

Just don't prep your repair by coating the damaged area with gray primer and then forget about it — that signals your inability to get the job done.

You should repair scratches as quickly as possible. Once the sheet metal under the paint is exposed, it's only a matter of time before rust has a chance to take hold.

A Simple Guide to Changing a Tire

Let’s face it, we’ve all been in a situation where a tire on our car has gone flat and after pulling over to the side of the road we have faced the challenging task of replacing the flat tire with a healthy tire and getting our car back on the road.

For some people this might seem like an easy task, but for the rest of us, the reality is that we may have no idea where to start – and this can leave us with a long time sitting on the side of the road waiting for someone to help us out.

Taking the time to learn how to change a tire may seem like a complete waste of time – until you find yourself in a situation where you need to use these skills – and if you are prepared to learn and you want to know the basics of changing a tire then this quick guide will give you the information that you need to get started.

Changing a tire
Every car is different, but in general the technique of changing a tire is relatively similar across the board and if you do find yourself stuck on the side of the road then it’s crucial that you take the following steps:

1. Turn off the engine, hazard lights and any other electrical element of the car. Ensure that the car is fully parked and that the handbrake is on, this ensures that the car won’t move while you are changing the tire
2. Remove the wheel trim and take the jack from the boot of the car and place it under the car in the recommended lifting point. Ensure that it is locked and fully extended to push the car to the appropriate height
3. Take the wheel nut wrench and loosen the wheel nuts and bolts (this is usually done in an anti-clockwise direction). Loosen all wheel nuts before you start to remove the tire to ensure that none are jammed or stuck
4. Remove the wheel nuts and in turn remove the tire. Grab the spare tire and put it in the place of the old tire. Replace the nuts, starting from the top first and working your way around. Lower the wheel carefully and then finish tightening the nuts once your wheel reaches the ground.
5. Replace your tire and equipment safely in the boot in a secure position where they won’t roll around and make sure you purchase another spare tire for the next time this happens!

If you don’t feel confident changing a tire then practice. There is nothing worse than being stuck out in the middle of nowhere and not knowing how to change a tire – help might not just be around the corner. So if you have a spare hour or two at the weekend or even one night after work, consider a quick practice tire change and it could save you a lot of hassle if you do end up with a flat tire.

Get More Life Out of Your Tires with Proper Care and Maintenance

Everybody wants a little more bang for their buck, and similarly – when it comes to automobiles and driving – everybody wants to be as safe as possible.

Well there is one aspect of your vehicle that can be manipulated into achieving both of those goals at once! Proper tire maintenance can prolong the life of the tire treads by as much as 50%, according to industry leaders, and not only does that mean that you will have to replace your tires less often, but your vehicle will operate at peak performance longer and at the highest standards for safety.

Moreover, not only will maintaining your tires lead to more money in your pocketbook, but it also helps to increase the overall life of your vehicle’s engine and is healthier for the environment!

In order to maximize the life of your tires, you need to take the time to maintain proper inflation levels and be mindful of any unusual tire tread wear and over the life of those tires, thousands and thousands of miles will be gained, not to mention countless extra trips to the gas station.

Here are a handful of tire maintenance considerations that virtually any driver can make in order to prolong their utility and safety:

Inflation-
The biggest issue regarding tires on the road right now is under-inflation. Not only do under inflated tires pose a safety risk, but underinflated tires run hotter than normal, leading to quicker and more abnormal tread wear. Industry leaders say that underinflated tires can cost you up to a mile per gallon in fuel efficiency (think of how much $$$ that is over the course life of your vehicle) not to mention that it can cause your vehicle to handle in a dangerous fashion and could possibly lead to tire blowouts.

Over-inflation-
Savvy drivers are constantly checking their tire pressure to guard against under-inflation, but sometimes if they aren’t careful, they can be causing extra harm to their vehicle. Over-inflation just might be more dangerous than under-inflation. Overinflated tires are more prone to blowouts, and the tread wears out in even quicker fashion than with poorly inflated tires.

Alignment issues-
Sometimes you can maintain pitch-perfect tire inflation, but still witness abnormal tire wear or other issues that diminish the life of your tires. These are most likely due to an issue with in or around your vehicle’s chassis. For instance, cupping and feathering wear often begins to show when a vehicle’s suspension is misaligned. Other issues that can lead to inconsistent tire performance include bad shock absorbers, struts and out-of-balance tires. Your best bet is to make sure you keep an eye on your tires for abnormal wear patterns, and if you observe anything out-of-the ordinary, quickly get to a mechanic to get your alignment inspected.

Taking the time to check in and take care of your tires is one of the investments you can make. It’s good for you, your bank account, and the environment. It’s a no-brainer. Devote a few minutes each week to tire safety diligence, and you will be repaid in a plentiful fashion over the course of your tires life!

Tire Maintenance Tips

Your tires contribute to vehicle performance. Tire maintenance can protect your investment by extending the life of your tires. Checking tire pressure, rotating your tires, balancing your tires, and choosing the right set of replacement tires based on safety and handling will all contribute to consistent performance.
Use the following tips to help you stay on top of tire maintenance:
-Check tire pressure to ensure proper inflation. Underinflation can lead to excess heat, uneven tire wear, and decreased braking and handling capabilities, which may cause structural failures like blowouts and tread separation. Properly inflated tires will maximize tread life, improve handling, and increase fuel efficiency and overall driver safety.
-Follow proper tire rotation schedules. Recommended rotation patterns for your vehicle can be found in your owner’s manual. Routine tire rotations equalize and enhance front-to-rear and side-to-side tire wear. Remember: tire rotation will not prevent or circumvent wear issues caused by worn mechanical components.
-Balance tires as necessary. Out-of-balance tires may be detected in bumps that become more noticeable at higher speeds. Balancing tires is necessary during initial installation and during a remount.
-Install new tires in sets or pairs. The addition of one new tire to the rotation cycle can cause instability and create vehicle handling issues. When new tires are needed, two new tires should be installed on the rear of a vehicle, and the partially worn tires should be moved to the front of the vehicle.
-When the time comes to store your tires for next season, consider a dark place away from direct sunlight with low humidity. Tires should be stored away from solvents, grease, oil, or any ozone-producing electrical equipment, which have deteriorating effects on tires.
-Be mindful of abnormal tire wear or damage to your tires. Watch for signs of punctures, embedded objects, cracks, and bulges.
-Always keep a spare tire, and make sure it’s properly inflated and ready for use. You never know when you’re going to need it.
Take these tips into consideration when servicing your tires. The Rubber Manufacturer’s Association (RMA) recommends taking five minutes each month to check your tires. Other mechanical issues may contribute to uneven tire wear, and need correction in order to maximize tire life and vehicle performance.
By taking proper care of your tires, you can remain safe during all types of travel, experience the benefits of better fuel economy, and extend tire life, which will positively impact the environment.

Impress your friends with these 23 Fun Car Facts you probably didn’t know…

1. There are 1 billion cars currently in use on earth.

2. About 165,000 cars are produced every day.

3. The “new car smell” is composed of over 50 volatile organic compounds.

4. It would take less than 6 months to get to the Moon by car at 60mph (95km/h).

5. Hitler, while in prison, wrote to a Mercedes dealership begging for a car loan.

6. Up to 19 girls can be crammed into a smart car.
7. The average car has 30,000 parts.

8. 92% of all new sold cars in Brazil use ethanol as fuel, which is produced from sugar cane.

9. 75% of cars that Rolls Royce has ever produced are still on the road today.

10. Volkswagen owns Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Audi, Ducati and Porsche.

11. The average American spends about 38 hours a year stuck in traffic.

12. The first car accident occurred in 1891, in Ohio.

13. The odds of dying in a car accident are around 1 in 5,000.

14. When the car radio was introduced, some states wanted to ban it arguing that it could distract drivers and cause accidents.

15. It is a criminal offense to drive around in a dirty car in Russia.

16. Car wrecks are the number one cause of death for Americans under 35.

17. In Turkmenistan, car drivers are entitled to 120 Liters (31 gal.) of free petrol a month.

18. There are more cars than people in Los Angeles.

19. The inventor of the cruise control was blind.

20. The vehicle with the highest mileage covered a total of 2,850,000 miles (4,586,630 km).

21. The world’s fastest street-legal production car is the Bugatti Verona Super Sport, at 267 mph (431 km/h).

22. In 1941, Henry Ford made a car out of soy beans.

23. Most new cars fake engine noise through speakers. They are quite silent otherwise.