Posts Tagged ‘car care’

Perfect Paint for Your Restored Car

Friday, February 18th, 2011

After a complete car restoration project you will most likely want to show it off. A perfect paint job is the best way to make a good first impression. Sending your car off to a professional is a good way to ensure the job is done right. But, if you are ambitious, patient and have the right tools, a head-turning, deep, rich, glossy paint job is within your reach.

Preparing your car for the painting process is just as important as the paint itself, maybe even more-so. Don’t skimp on preparation. It should be done very carefully and thoroughly or your finished product will be plagued with imperfections. Even though it’s tempting, don’t mask off the emblems and trim, remove them completely. Even if you consider yourself an expert taper, you are leaving yourself open to the possibility of overspray and ridges, which have a tendency to peel as time goes by. All bare metal surfaces should be scratched with 80 grit DA and it is best to clean them about an hour before you begin.

The epoxy should be applied in several coats. The first wet coat should be sprayed and allowed to dry for 30 minutes, followed by a second wet coat. Let the epoxy set overnight and then apply any glazing putty, fiberglass filler or body filler. Sand down the body work and spray one more coat of epoxy to cover any filler spots or bare metal. Let it set overnight.

The primer coat is next. It’s not necessary to sand the epoxy before spraying primer. Apply the primer coats in 30 minute intervals to allow drying time in between. Once the car is completely primed, it should be sealed with another coat of epoxy with urethane reducer added. That final coat should be left to set for at least two hours before moving on to the basecoat.

For the best results, use the slowest urethane reducer you can get away with – you will be able to see the difference in the gloss when you’re done. Just remember to take extra drying time into consideration between coats. Thirty to 45 minutes should be enough time. After you are done applying your basecoats, let it set overnight again.

Now you’re ready to finish it off with clear coat. Four coats should do nicely, and remember to allow about 30 minutes for drying time between coats. Once you have applied and dried your desired number of coats, all that’s left is the wet sanding and buffing before you can step back and admire your new deep, rich, perfect paint job.

You put 100% into restoring your car. Make sure it is 100% protected. A reputable car insurance company like Leland West can give your car the protection she deserves.

Suggestions For Protecting Your Car Paint Yourself

Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

Car repair shops and product retailers make a lot of money from car paint protection. This has become a lucrative part of business. Many people want to protect their paint jobs on their cars. But learning how to do your own car paint protection at home can save you hundreds to thousands of dollars in the long haul. Most of us are untrained in terms of auto repair. Thus, minor nicks and dings on your car are not things we are prepared to repair. We need to learn how to be much handier in terms of repairing these.

So, should you decide to try a DIY car kit, you need to make certain that you take the time to fully understand the directions which are printed on the package. It would also be advisable to research the process online before you purchase any DIY car paint protection product. This way you can avoid wasting money on a product. There are numerous forums that discuss car paint protection kits. There are also articles and FAQs to peruse for information as well.

In what follows below you will find certain helpful suggestions for the dedicated do-it-yourself person.

If you are using any particular car paint protection products, it is suggested to wash your car less often since most products also remove dirt, grime and dust off the paint. As a substitute for washing the car, wipe its surface with a damp cloth, which can also remove particles which have been embedded within the layers of wax. This conserves water and saves time too.

Only the painted parts of your car need paint protection. Your chrome and windshield can sustain no benefit from this product whatsoever. Unless the surface is painted, it cannot benefit from car paint protection, so there is no need for application.

This being said, you should avoid getting the product on your windows and windshield. Be extra careful and pay attention as you are working around these areas. Cover them with plastic adhesive tape for protection before applying the products. Majority of paint protection products are also suited for vinyl or fabric car upholstery. Several dual purpose products are currently available in the marketplace which give great protection for the vehicle’s interior and its exterior. Always read the label all the time to ensure that you’re applying the product on the correct surfaces.

Chas likes to write many articles around short term car insurance and about finding good value car insurance on the internet.

What Is The Average Cost Of Auto Insurance?

Saturday, October 2nd, 2010

How much do the majority of people shell out for auto insurance? That is really a tough question. It is based for the most part on where you reside, instead of on the type of auto you own, as many believe.

People living in rural areas almost always pay less for insurance than those who live in cities, simply because there is more traffic in cities, and that means there’s more likely to be accidents.

Insurance providers look at a number of factors as far as their premiums are concerned. The biggest influence however is the amount of risk involved which could see them having to pay a claim.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners put together a report stating the typical cost of auto insurance dropped by 1 overall. They made a list of the 10 most and least expensive states to reside in when considering auto insurance costs.

There is a significant difference between the highest and the lowest. The average expenditure per capita in Washington DC is about a thousand dollars a year. The average in North Dakota is $530, which is less than 50%.

If you ever decide you want to move from where you’re staying at the moment so that you can also take advantage of cheaper car insurance, then you should ideally consider places such as North Carolina, Wisconsin, Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota. In all of these states, the average cost of comprehensive car insurance is less than $600 per year.

On a slightly different note; while car insurance may be quite cheap in North Carolina, home insurance isn’t, but that’s because the region is prone to hurricane damage. What I’m getting at here is that there are several things you need to look at before you decide to relocate.

According to recent surveys, Florida, New York, Delaware, and Nevada have the most elevated insurance car rates, and in New Jersey, one can expect to pay about $1,000 per year.

The state average can of course be driven up because of higher rates in some that state’s cities, bearing in mind that different cities have different rates. Alarmingly enough, Detroit residents were paying as much as $5,000 per year for car insurance, and that was only two years ago.

Even though car insurance is so expensive in Detroit, that doesn’t mean the entire state pays that much. In fact, the average is actually under $1,000. Also, Michigan is fortunate enough to have numerous rural regions, and if you choose to live in one of the rural areas you will most certainly pay even less for your insurance.

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Buying Repossessed Cars At Affordable Prices

Monday, August 16th, 2010

There are more people around you who appreciate the economy of buying a repossessed vehicle than you realize. It is possible also the purchase repossessed cars at lots more affordable rates, but not everyone knows this. There’s a lot you could learn from this article in tips and bits, anything from actually being a distributor yourself to buying a repossessed car at the most incredible price imaginable.

A common error most folks make is buying a repossessed vehicle simply because the dealer is emphatic about it, and another is the inclination to purchase the repo because it was the one they saw first of all. You don’t need to be carried away by impressive online sales tactics like the dealer informing you that you have made the most wonderful buy and the car you got is simply the best. Such is only to be expected from sellers who are oh so intent on closing the day with a couple of sales. You don’t want to fall for this because you’d only end up hating yourself for being so gullible.

Buying repossessed cars at affordable prices mean the buyer must be smarter than the seller. You could eventually pay more to buy a poorer quality of repo car simply because you failed at this. The truth is that these people have been in the business of selling bank repossessed cars, which means you are up against a smarter bunch. Do repo car dealers ever get ‘taken’ too? Online, you are sure to come across several services that offer you every range of information you may require to purchase a bank repo car – where, how, how much, etc. Surf the web sometime, and you should be saturated with countless such websites that do just this.

You certainly would like to know the real price you should pay for a repossessed car you are buying, especially if you are shopping online for it, and you need to learn a couple of things about it in a hurry before you approach a dealer or so that you can make a few comparisons. Until you do this, you should not contact your repo dealer. You would be able to stay right on top of things if you had enough information collected from a very comprehensive online search.

Finally, there are different buyers and most dealers expect their customers to be dumb buyers. Without the information from your research, you’d be putty in their hands, and pay top dollar for a repo vehicle. Don’t buy something you still have issues with, whether you’re shopping online or in a showroom. Looking back at the negotiations and watching yourself be dumb is not a sight you’d appreciate. It pays to contact experienced car users among your colleagues or relatives.

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