General - Part 11

3 Steps For Detailing Your Own Car

You don’t need that clean car smell, but it’s so nice to have a freshly washed car that’s been vacuumed and detailed. Except who wants to spend $150-250 to get that done? Car detailing companies involves cleaning a car’s exterior and interiors thoroughly.

First, gather up the equipment. You will need a bucket, a good cleaning solution, a very soft, natural sponge, a squeegee, cotton swabs, a high quality liquid synthetic wax, cotton swabs, a vacuum cleaner, dust clothes, and lots of either all cotton cloths or microfiber. You don’t want anything with polyester in it as that will scratch the paint. Chamois cloths can also be used but tend to be a bit more expensive. If you have leather or vinyl seats, get a cleanser just for that, otherwise, use a spray on, vacuum off cleaner for cloth seats.

Some people use two or even three buckets for washing their car. In the three bucket method, one bucket is just water for rinsing off the sponge. The second bucket has a soapy solution for washing off the sponge to remove grit and dirt. The third bucket is another soapy solution for using to wash the car. So for each pass on the vehicle, you would get soaped up, wash a section of the car, rinse off the sponge, wash the sponge by dipping a few times and squeezing out the dirt, and then getting more good soapy suds and wash another part of the car. The two bucket method is similar but it’s just water for cleaning the dirt and grit off of the sponge before getting more suds.

Park your car in the shade or at least as shady as you can get. Set up your boom box and get the tunes playing. Open up the hood and clean out the leaves that accumulated. If you have a trunk, you’ll do this as well. A good shop vac will take care of this quickly, otherwise, carefully use your hands.

Secondly, starting from the front and working backwards, hose down the car and get to work washing. Pay special attention to removing bugs from the grill and headlights, and any sap that might have fallen on the top of the car. Rinse really well getting underneath the car as best you can. Rub your hand over the paint. If it feels smooth, then start squeegeeing the windows. If it doesn’t, you may want to wash again, and invest in some detailer’s clay to remove everything before you put on a coat of wax.

The first thing you want to dry are the mirrors and the windows since they dry the fastest. When drying the body of the vehicle, try to use a blotting motion rather then rubbing. This saves on your paint job. Change towels frequently so you’re not rubbing dirt onto paint. And make sure you use a separate towel just for the wheels. They tend to be the dirtiest and you don’t want that grease back on your nice clean car!

Third is the actual detailing! You need to make sure that the car is completely dry before you put on the wax. So at this point, you could wash the insides of the windows and the rear view mirror, and vacuum out the floor and mats. Then if you have cloth seats, spray them down with the cleaner. Using a very soft cloth and following the directions, apply the liquid synthetic wax to the car from front to back. Make absolutely certain you avoid anything plastic, metal, or any of the trim. It could take hours to get it off, so be careful up front. Synthetic waxes last long, and liquid waxes are much easier to apply. While it’s drying, you can vacuum off the cloth seats or you can treat the leather or vinyl seats. Using your crevice attachment, vacuum out all the little areas around the seats and any storage areas. Wash down and dry any spills in these areas. Taking the duster, dust down the dashboard. There are special conditioners for dashboards that keep the material soft. It’s your call if you wish to use them. Use the cotton swabs for cleaning out the vents. Using a damn cloth, wipe down the steering wheel and the steering column. A lot of dust gets trapped here.

When the wax is all dry, it’s time to buff. Start in the front, use a back and forth motion with a very soft cloth. Do not use the circular motion as it will cause abrasions in the paint surface.

Now sit back and admire your work. Great job! Do this at least once a month to keep your car in perfect condition. If you have external problems like sap, salt, leaves, and messy birds, you may wish to do this every other week.

If you did this to sell your car, you can keep it looking great by parking it carefully and wiping it down with a soft microfiber cloth before you take it out for a test drive. And I’ll leave it up to you whether you use New Car Smell scent. Before you choose your detailer, click here.

Lara J Fabans

Keeping you and your car happy and healthy without breaking the bank

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What Is Vehicle Wrapping?

Vehicle wrapping is a technique that has previously been used mostly on commercial vehicles for advertising and branding purposes, but is now increasingly being adopted by private vehicle owners. The process itself involves covering the whole exterior of a vehicle in a thin, malleable, adhesive vinyl. Once the vinyl has been positioned and applied, it is trimmed and cut away from around the windows, door jambs, panel gaps and trim details. It is then thoroughly stuck down onto the paintwork by working out any trapped air from underneath the vinyl with a soft squeegee, and using a heat gun to help it adhere and to work it around the contours of the vehicle. We take great pride in being able to help you achieve your business goals and build your brand awareness through our range of signwriters Sydney.

The main reason people are now using the vinyl wrapping technique on their own cars is to provide a complete color change. While in the past if you wanted to change the color of your vehicle you would have to get it completely repainted, vehicle wrapping offers an attractive alternative solution.

There are a number of advantages to having your vehicle wrapped instead of painted, the main one being the cost. Although a full vehicle wrap will still be a considerable investment, it is a far cheaper alternative to a full repaint. Also, unfortunately, a high percentage of auto body repair shops do not carry out paint repairs properly, and after having a vehicle repainted it’s very common to be left with imperfections in the finish, such as runs in the paint, an orange peel effect it the clear coat, bad color matching and then vast amounts of dust and over spray. In short, completely repainting a vehicle is a very messy, time consuming and labor intensive process and it can be very hard to find someone that can do it properly and if you do, you’re probably going to have to pay a premium – pushing the cost up even more.

In contrast, vehicle wraps are the complete opposite. They can be applied in as little as a day, create no mess for the vehicle owner, and if applied correctly by an experienced fitter, is little that can go wrong. The vehicle is simply washed and decontaminated, certain trim and exterior components are removed and then the vinyl is applied. More than one person is usually required at the beginning of the process, in order to correctly position and apply the large sheets of vinyl, but once positioned and roughly applied the rest can be done by a single individual.

The quality of the vinyl now available also means that it’s actually very had to tell the difference between a painted finish and a vinyl wrap, and most can even be polished and waxed just like a regular painted finish. As well as different colors you can also choose to completely change the finish, as most manufacturers now offer matte, satin, printed and even chromium vinyl types. Due to this wide variety of options, the possibilities are almost limitless. For example, you can have different panels in different colors, have decals, images and text easily worked into the design, and even contrast different finishes by having dark, matte finish racing stripes laid over a high gloss, bright base color for instance.

Wrapping your vehicle actually benefits the original paintwork in a number of ways. Firstly, it helps to thoroughly protect and preserve it from the weather, keeping environmental contaminants away. Then, it provides a protective barrier against rock and stone chips, which can easily damage paintwork and lead to rust formation. It also acts as a barrier against the suns strong UV rays, which can oxidize and fade your paintwork. And lastly, instead of your paintwork being inflicted with scuffs, swirls marks and light scratches over time, the vinyl will instead take the brunt of these, being completely eliminated when the wrap is removed.

If you are considering having your vehicle wrapped, there are a few things to consider. You should ensure that you find a qualified professional to prepare your vehicle and install the wrap, because although it is a far more straight forward process that repainting a vehicle, there is still the potential for damage to be inflicted at certain parts of the process. You also need to make sure whoever is fitting the wrap pays sufficient attention to the edges, as the last thing you want is for it to start peeling and lifting off soon after it has been applied. The last thing to note is that once it has been applied, there may be a short curing period before you can wash and clean the exterior of your car, this is simply to ensure all areas of the wrap thoroughly adhere to the surface and any time you would have to wait would be far shorter than the time you may have to wait after having your vehicle repainted.

In conclusion, vehicle wraps are a relatively quick, easy and cost effective way to completely change the color and/or finish or your vehicle, whilst at the same time protecting and extending the life of the paintwork underneath.

For More Car Detailing Articles and to Discover How to Clean Your Car to a Professional Standard Yourself, Visit Car Cleaning Guru Today.

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Some Helpful Car Repair Tips For The Motorist

Gentle brushing brings out the best results but still we need car cleaning products. It can be expensive to repair a car repaired. You must pay for parts and a mechanic to provide service to your vehicle. Do you want to save some money? You will be able to after following the tips that have been provided. Carnauba wax is a wonderful ingredient to use in natural cosmetics. It is extremely durable, and dries to a glossy finish.

Ask a mechanic any questions about your vehicle. Preventing vehicle issues is a lot of money.

Make sure that you replace old parts with OEM parts.These are directly from the manufacturer parts. While generic parts may be cheaper, they typically work better for longer periods of time. What may seem like a cheap option now could be an expensive option later.

If your headlights look dimmer than they used to, check them to see if they are clean. Clean theses with a glass cleaner.

Look out for signs that should serve as a new auto repair company. If they give you the runaround or ignore any questions, you may want to look elsewhere. You should feel like you can trust them, so go elsewhere.

Think about using a mechanic who fixes cars in his or her own garage. If they are experienced and skilled, and they will usually charge you less for labor. You can support small business and save hundreds on the cost of money by going down this route.

Look at all lights that flash on your dashboard and learn what they mean. These warning lights are meant to help alert you know when something is wrong with your car. Ignoring them for extended periods of time will not make the problem go away.

Be certain to understand when your oil often enough. You should regularly to keep your car running smoothly. If your oil is not changed on a regular basis, your car could stop working much earlier than expected.

Check tire pressure each time you fill up the tank.Look at your tires and make sure that there’s nothing embedded in them. Driving around with corrupt tires is extremely dangerous.

Don’t try and fix complex automotive issues. What you may see as a simple fix can really be very complicated, especially in newer computerized vehicles. Let a repair shop do the mechanic diagnose the problem. Tell them what you’ve observed, but allow them to determine the cause.

Warranties can be very important when you need to replace parts.Ask the mechanic about the warranties on parts they ordered for you.

If you’re not able to get your vehicle fixed because you’re tight on funds, try talking to an auto repair department at a local vocation school. You will pay much less for service since students who are under the watchful eye of their qualified instructor.

Always bleed your brakes after working on them or preceding a test drive. Make sure you test your brakes for leaks.You can test drive in an area with little to no traffic. Start out slowly to make sure that the repair is done well before risking higher speeds.

It is possible that there was a recall issue if multiple people report the same problem.The manufacturer may even fix the problem at no cost to you.

Once you have paid a mechanic for replacing a part of your vehicle, ask to have the old ones back.If he does not want to do that, it’s possible that there was no replacement done. This is not a good sign and you should tell him out on it.

Keep your mechanic receipts in a file in the car to keep receipts. You can categorize them chronologically or by service repair type. This is important to have when you get your car.

Ask your mechanic to give you the old parts given back to you. This helps you know whether the part was actually done. This isn’t particularly necessary for exhaust system changed.It is easy to tell whether or not an exhaust system has been installed.

Do not use water for the compartment for windshield washer compartment. The system needs windshield washer fluid, and water can easily damage the washer. You should check the level in the compartment and refill needs. Don’t insist if the compartment to empty before refilling.

Choose between getting your car fixed by a dealership or an independent repair shop. Independent garages are cheaper, but you also may run into a shop that is dishonest.

Always have your auto repairs done at a shop the manufacturer. Going to any other dealers could void parts of the warranty.

Seek a second opinions prior to committing to major repairs on you car. The mechanic may be offended or offer a special price to do repairs right away, but be suspicious of this.

Don’t attempt repairs on your car unless you are absolutely sure of how to fix it yourself. You may make problems worse or void a warranty by doing the wrong thing. This means you will have to pay for all car repairs yourself.

Don’t buy into the tune up at 100K miles. This is simply a rule of thumb that actually depends on the make and model of your car. You would better off if you followed the maintenance schedule recommended by the manufacturer of your car.

You may not see anything wrong with the vehicle, but only a professional will be able to tell you for sure. If you notice nothing is wrong with the your automobile, it can be reset by a professional mechanic.

Check out your drive axle boots regularly. These boots can be found on the drive axle joints (which are behind your tires). You can inspect this part by turning the wheels of your car and peering behind them.

You have to know what your mechanic will do before agreeing to hiring them. Ask him how much it will cost.

Most cars will require repairs eventually. You don’t have to worry about working with mechanics every time, however. It is possible to do your own repairs. This tips in this article can help, click here and try doing your own.