"Secret" tips and shortcuts from the owner of a car detailing shop.
It true that you can find almost anything that you want on the internet, you just have to know where to look. You Tube has been a great source of automotive videos. Some beautiful and professionally produced like Petrolicious, and some obviously from home garage based DIY ers.
Sometimes the Net knows just what you want and it slips a gem into your queue.
From my very first post I stated that this site was all about low buck, hands on, accessible solutions to the problems and challenges that the regular car guy was confronted with, and finding solutions that he could benefit from.
I have watched lots of videos that have demonstrated how to perform maintenance and repair procedures, usually with some time saving "Hacks." Sweeeet Project Cars (SPC) displays some very practical and affordable answers to handle some thorny solutions, such as broken and cracked plastic components.
Plastic parts make up an annoyingly large part of automotive interior construction over the last thirty years. Many parts are made just good enough to survive through the original owner's warranty period. Sometimes they don't even last that long!
Broken mounting tabs or plastic hinge assemblies such as glovebox, ashtray, console or door panels can be irritating and give the car a real down at the heels vibe.
The plastics used haven't always been easy to repair and the repaired part is sometimes very fragile afterwards. I've used aluminum flashing material, epoxy and pop rivets to repair broken plastic framing. Sometimes there just isn't enough space to allow this kind of repair.
Using Locktite super glue backed up with baking powder seems like an unlikely pairing but it seems to work and is very adaptable.
Fixing broken control knobs with super glue and copy paper ?
Cleaning and detailing under the hood with spray on tire preservative? Quite impressive.
That's not the only cheap fix, he gives his own recipe for a plastic, vinyl and rubber preservative that's not only cheap, but seems to work pretty well. The secret is to combine equal parts of baby oil and mineral oil.
A lot of attention is given to repairing, restoring and preserving your car's paint. Faded and weathered clear coat areas will make any car look old, tired and neglected.
Touching up scratches and rock chips. Do this as they occur to maintain the appearance and value of your car.
Buffing out cloudy plastic headlights. Cloudy headlights are like the bags under an older person's eyes. They make your car look tired and run down. Not only that, they reduce the amount of illumination that your headlights can produce.
Buffing and sealing the windshield. It's amazing on how dirty, hazy and cloudy your car's windshield can get. I don't know about you, but now that I'm older I really feel the benefit of having a clear windshield to look through, especially on a two lane road at night. The glare from oncoming headlights makes it hard to see the road markings.
Lots of cleaning tips. Lot's!
Carpet, upholstery, seatbelts,
Low buck repair and refinishing tips for upholstery and vinyl components.
There are lots of videos claiming how to make certain items "last forever." Pure hyperbole! It generally means treating these items to a good cleaning and adding a regular coating of vinyl and rubber preservative. Of course these items can't last forever but they will last longer and stay in better condition.
Inspired by these videos I decided to do something about the scuffed raised white letter tires on my Explorer. These make the car look run down and neglected. I had the two rear tires replaced and installed blackwall out. I 'm planning to either replace the fronts (if they are too old) or have them remounted BSW out also. But I didn't have the time or money to do that right away. The left front tire suffers the worst because it picks up curb rash more often. In my case there was a chunk of sidewall torn out revealing the white rubber underneath. Very tacky.
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| You can see the divot on the bottom. |
I cleaned the area then sprayed a bit of satin black paint on. A couple of light coats made everything black again. When that dried it was a bit darker than the surrounding area. I applied some preservative to the tire which evened out the sheen and color. A big improvement in appearance for a little bit of effort.
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| Looking 100% better. All the little improvements add up. |
Center consoles with cup holders gradually pick up a layer of coffee and other spills and the spilled liquid often runs onto the carpet. The Explorer had some noticeable stains running down the driver's side of the transmission tunnel. I used a solution of Castrol Super Clean, an extremely strong agent, to clean the carpet and mat, using an upholstery and carpet brush. The trick is to wipe up the solution with an old towel quickly, so that the dirty water doesn't run deeper into the nap.
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| This is the strongest cleaner I have found. Use full strength or dilute.It's really strong and can burn sensitive skin. Be careful when using. |
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| Thsese are really dingy looking. My next little project. |
As an enthusiast I enjoy having my cars look the best they can. That doesn't mean that they look like brand new or like restored show cars. It means that they look like they have been regularly used but constantly cared after. It's a lot of little things that add up to a favorable presentation. Being able to make real, visible improvements to my car's appearance is extremely satisfying. It also motivates me to continue to maintain the mechanical condition of the car.
You cannot take any pride in a filthy vehicle that has been abused and ignored.
Preserve, improve and maintain. The Better Beater mantra.
Sweeeet Project Cars is a site that can help you do that.
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