Car Insurance

A dent in the car – so easy to come by and oh, so expensive to get fixed. Almost makes you want to save those expensive panel-beating rates and do it yourself, doesn’t it? Oh, if only you knew how. Well, fixing minor dents is actually not that difficult. With the right tools you can do it yourself – really. Here’s how to go about it:

TOOLS

Before you attempt to fix that dent make sure you’ve got the right tools and materials. You’ll want to have a couple of hammers, one ball-pein and the other claw. Also have on hand a block of wood, an electric drill, HSS drill bits, self-locking grips and self-tapping screw, an abrasive sanding disc or wire brush, body filler kit, sanding paper, cellulose body stopper, clean rags and a hair-dryer.

DENT FIXING STEPS

(1) The first step is to beat out the dent. Try pushing it out with your hands. Often the dent will simply spring out. Failing this, hold a block of wood on the outside of the dent and use a ball-pein hammer to gently beat out the dent from the inside, doing so until it is just below the level of the rest of the panel.

(2) If the inside of the dent is inaccessible, mark the center of it, then drill a small hole with an HSS bit. Now screw in a long self-tapping screw until about half an inch sticks out. Grip the end of the screw with either the end of a claw hammer or a pair of self-locking grips.

(3) Now sand down the area with an electric drill fitted with a wire brush or sanding disc. Remove all paint from the dent.

(4) Apply filler to the dented area with a plastic spatula.

(5) After allowing the filler to harden use a rasp to shape the surface. Move to coarse sand paper wrapped around a sanding block. As the shape becomes closer to it’s finish, move to a finer grade of paper.

(6) Check for any imperfections in the finish with your fingers. Fill these with cellulose stopper.

(7) Give a final rub down with fine paper.

(8) When you are ready to spray paint the area, cover light clusters, windows and surrounding body-work with masking tape and brown paper sheets.

(9) Apply aerosol primer. From a distance of about 8 inches, spray a thin coat, all the time moving the can back and forth. Apply two more coats of primer. Lightly rub over with fine paper when completely dry.

(10) Now apply a top coat, spraying in horizontal lines and working your way down from the top. Apply two more coats. Allow to dry thoroughly and then rub down with fine paper. About an hour later apply your final respray.

And there you have it. Fixing your own dents will require a large amount of patience and attention to detail but it will avoid putting a dent in your wallet and that makes it well worth the effort.

Unless your car is kept garaged most of the time it is subject to the dirt, smog and harsh weather. These conditions make it hard on the body and interior of your automobile. Learning how to properly wax and clean your car can prevent premature wear and tear. It is also smart to keep your car in the best condition for the sake of resale value.

Washing the exterior of your vehicle is the first step. Using a small amount of car soap with a bucket of water is much more effective than trying to wash it at a car wash. You can purchase car soap and is recommended over household soaps because of its mild chemicals. A steady stream of water instead of blasting it with a hose is gentler on the paint. Once you have soaped and rinsed you car as well as the glass use a clean dry soft towel to dry it off.

Now you are ready to apply a glaze. A glaze is used before waxing to hide scratches and spiderwebbing. You can apply this rather fast as it does not have to be perfect. Once the glaze is dry it is time for the wax. You can buy a liquid wax or a solid wax, the latter lasts longer. Apply with a sponge or whatever may be provided, make sure you are not in direct sunlight. The sun can dry the wax making it hard to remove. Take a section at a time being very careful not to get any on rubber or plastic. A dry clean polishing cloth is best to remove it with.

Now you are ready to clean the interior. The first thing for a good thourough cleaning job is if possible, remove the seats. This allows you to vacuum in hard to get to places. Be sure and take out the floor mats and clean those, too. If they are carpet mats you may want to shampoo them and vacuum them with a shop vac. Using a vinyl protectant on the dash and dash board will protect it from the sun as well as giving it a shine. A Q-tip is an easy way to get to the little areas a cloth will not reach. Make sure you do not forget the windows inside and out. Using a glass cleaner and clean paper towel or newspaper will suffice. If your automobile has leather seats it is wise to clean with a leather protectant for best results.

Keeping your car’s interior and exterior clean is not only beneficial to the life of the car, it also makes you feel good about the vehicle you are driving.

It is critical to insure all headlight bulbs are operational in your vehicle. It is essential for night driving safety and also important to avoid a ticket from the police! This article will detail the procedure for replacing a failed headlight.

Many drivers are not aware on how to fix a burned out bulb, or they prefer to pay top dollar and have a mechanic perform the repair. It is best to refer to your vehicles owner manual where the specific instructions for your make and model will be highlighted. Generally speaking there are two different types of headlight housings, sealed-beam and composite.

Sealed-beam headlights are common on older cars and they are the type of headlight where the bulb and the housing are one sealed unit. Composite lights are common on most newer cars where there is a sophisticated housing with a removable halogen or xenon bulb.

When performing a headlight replacement procedure, it’s a good idea to remove the old bulb or lamp and bring it with you to the auto-parts store to insure an exact replacement. It is also a good idea to replace both headlights at the same time. Also, as a safety precaution you should wear latex or similar gloves. Aside from keeping your hands clean, it will prevent oil from your hands from affecting the performance of the new bulbs. Oil or grease can greatly reduce the life of your new bulb.

Replacing a sealed-beam headlight is just slightly more complicated then replacing the bulb in a composite headlight. The first step is to locate and remove the retaining ring. You may have to remove a protective bezel or cover to locate the ring. This is a ring of metal which holds the headlight in place. Be careful not to confuse the screws of the retaining ring with the screws for the beam adjustment. Once the retaining ring is removed, slide out the headlight and remove the wiring harness from the back of the lamp and carefully remove the entire headlight. Attach the wiring harness to the new headlight and place it back in the headlight shell, insuring the embossed number or brand on the glass is upright and straight. Prior to reassembling the retainer ring is a good time to turn on the headlights and insure your new bulb is functioning properly. Reaffixing the retainer ring is performed in the opposite fashion of removing it.

Replacing a bulb in a composite system typically starts by first locating and removing the wiring harness attached to the rear of the headlamp assembly. Next, unlock the bulbs retainer by rotating it 1/8 of a turn, then gently pull back and remove it. Carefully remove the bulb itself by pulling it straight out. Insure the new bulb matches the old one and place the new bulb in the housing. NEVER touch the glass bulb itself, always handle the bulb from the base. You may have to rotate the bulb in either direction for the locating tabs to line up properly. Reaffix the retainer and insure it is locked in place. Reattach the wiring harness, turn on the headlights and insure your lights are functioning properly.

If after you perform the replacement procedure the lights still do not illuminate, insure you have fully seated the wiring harnesses. If this fails to rectify the problem, you may have to replace a fuse or there may be an electrical problem, in which case you should have the system inspected by a certified mechanic.

You’re driving down the road, minding your own business, when suddenly you hear a strange noise. It sounds like someone’s tail pipe has fallen off and you look around to see where it might be coming from. By the time you realize the sound is coming from your car, your tire is a mangled heap of useless rubber and you are riding on your rims. You could pull over and wait for help, but why wait? Learn how to change your own tire and be armed when you’re out driving.

The most important part of being prepared is to have the right equipment. You should have the following items in your trunk at all times:

1 can of Fix-A-Flat

1 can of WD-40

Tire iron

Jack

Spare tire or donut

Fix-A-Flat can often inflate your tire enough to bring you to the next gas station or even further if you’re lucky enough to have a simple slow leak. If your tire is destroyed or the Fix-A-Flat doesn’t work, it’s time to change that tire.

The first thing you need to do is pry off your hubcap with the flat end of your tire iron. If you don’t have hubcaps, skip this step. Next, loosen, but do not remove your lug nuts with your tire iron. If the nuts are too tight or rusty, give them a spray with the WD-40 to loosen them up. After your lug nuts are loosened, look up at the sky and say, “Why ME?” Then, get ready to jack up your car. Look for a sturdy flat spot underneath your car to jack it up, giving yourself enough room to work with the tire. Usually there will be a flat plate somewhere near the bumper in the back or behind the tire in the front where you can safely jack up your car. If you are still doing this by yourself, it means you are either on a very deserted road or chivalry really is dead. After you’ve got the car jacked up, remove the lug nuts and take off your dead tire. Replace the tire with your spare or donut. If you are using a donut, be sure to get it replaced as soon as possible as these small tires are not meant to be driven long distances. Once you have your spare tire on, tighten the lug nuts only as much as you can without exerting force, then lower the car back down. Now that your car is back on the ground, tighten those lug nuts with all your might. You’ve just changed your own tire!

You can’t always rely on calling your auto club, especially if you’re out in the middle of nowhere and your cell phone doesn’t work. You can be prepared and be safe, instead of being left stranded bt following the instructions in this article.

The first thing to remember when you are driving and you experience a flat tire, is to immediately slow down the speed of your car and steer the car safely off of the roadway. Keep in mind that a blown tire interferes with the car’s steering and proper handling, especially if the blown tire is one of the front tires. As soon as you realize that your car has a flat tire, firmly grab and hold onto the steering wheel until you can get the car off of the road in a safe area and get it stopped.

Next, you must remember to get your car completely off of the roadway. Try to turn onto a side street, or into a parking lot. Also keep in mind that your car must be parked on a level area so you can safely change the tire.

Turn the car off, and immediately turn your car’s

emergency flashers on and apply the parking brake. Using the emergency flashers will make your disabled car more visible, especially at night. Another good idea is to light a couple of road flares. Place the flares a safe distance, about twenty feet apart, behind your car so cars coming up on you will see them and have time to slow down.

Your next step is to get the necessary tools out of the trunk of your car. You will need a good spare tire, a tire iron, and the car’s jack.

Using the tire iron,carefully pry the hubcap off and set it aside. Loosen the lugnuts on the tire before you jack the car up, and loosen them in order. That is, loosen one, then the lugnut diagonally opposite to it, then the next, and so on. Do not remove the lugnuts at this point, merely loosen them.

Next, use the car jack to carefully raise the front or rear end of the car. You will need to raise the car high enough so that you can remove the flat tire from the vehicle. If you are not sure how to properly use the jack, read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. There are several types of jacks and different ways to use them.

Next, remove the lugnuts and lay them inside the hubcap. Then, remove the flat tire from the car. Place the spare tire onto the hub, making sure to align the holes in the tire to the studs that are sticking out. Remember to place the tire on with the air valve facing towards you. If you do not see the air valve, you have put the tire on backwards. Then, replace the lugnuts and tighten them finger-tight in the same fashion in which you loosened them.

Finally, slowly lower the jack all the way down. Now, using the tire iron, tighten all of the lugnuts. Make sure they are all tightened securely. Replace the hubcap and place the flat tire and your tools back into the trunk, and remove the road flares if you used some.

Don’t forget to have the flat tire repaired or replaced just as soon as possible and place it back in the trunk so you will be prepared for your next flat tire!