At Chipex, our mission is helping people have their cars in the most optimal state and that’s why we are proud to offer the best quality for our products, not just for our Touch Up paints but our selection of cleaning products as well. The Chipex wheel cleaner, Seeing Red Wheel Cleaner, is an advanced super concentrate with very high active ingredients that offer an extremely effective means to clean all wheel types whilst remaining non-corrosive.
Our Seeing Red Wheel Cleaner has been specifically formulated to convert insoluble iron brake dust deposits welded to wheel rims and bodywork into a water soluble salt, thereby enabling "quick release" from vehicle surfaces that otherwise would require physical abrasion. Now that you know about our solution for your alloy wheels, learn more about how to implement it in your alloy wheel cleaning routine.
The frequency and approach to cleaning alloy wheels can significantly impact their condition and lifespan. Regular cleaning is crucial to remove the build-up of brake dust, road salts, and grime, which can be particularly aggressive on alloy wheels. The driving environment plays a crucial role in determining how often you should clean your wheels. For instance, driving in urban areas with more pollution, or in coastal regions where salt air prevails, may necessitate more frequent cleaning.
Stubborn stains on alloy wheels, such as ingrained brake dust, tar, and road film, require more than just soap and water. A specialised cleaner like the Chipex Seeing Red Wheel Cleaner is designed to tackle these tough stains. Its unique formula works by converting the insoluble iron from brake dust into a water-soluble compound, making it easier to rinse away. For the best results, apply the cleaner and allow it to sit for a few minutes. You’ll know it’s working when you see it turn red, indicating that the brake dust is being dissolved. However, a pressure washer will make the job much easier, especially for those difficult to reach spaces.
We have seen many times people using household items like toothpaste or vinegar to clean alloy wheels, they can offer a temporary solution but may not be as effective for long-term maintenance and can sometimes be too abrasive. For a more thorough clean that restores the wheels to a like-new condition, professional products like Chipex’s wheel cleaner are recommended. These products are specifically formulated to be gentle on alloy materials while providing a powerful cleaning action.
Chipex's key tips include:
Choosing the right product is crucial in caring for your alloy wheels, and when it comes to washing your precious car wheels, many people ask themselves what is best for cleaning alloy wheels to avoid the don’ts and keep their intact look.
Keep these must-have alloy wheel products handy:
Follow these steps to clean your alloy wheels effectively:
By following these steps and using the right products, you can effectively clean and maintain your alloy wheels, keeping them looking new and performing optimally.
]]>Matte car paint is distinguished by its non-reflective finish, providing a flat yet elegant look that differs significantly from traditional glossy finishes. This unique appearance is achieved through a different paint formulation that scatters light, reducing the shine and giving the car a sleek, modern aesthetic.
One of the main benefits of matte paint is its ability to hide minor imperfections and scratches, which might be more noticeable on glossy cars and depending on your car shade being a light colour more noticeable than dark ones. However, this doesn't mean that the car structure can’t be compromised. If your matte-finish car has suffered a stone chip or scratch, it's important to address it promptly, just like you would with a glossy car. Even small damages can lead to significant problems, exposing your car's structure to environmental elements and making it prone to corrosion. To prevent this, swift action is advised.
A do-it-yourself approach is easily achievable with our Touch Up Kit, designed to provide an exact colour match, ensuring that even matte finishes are seamlessly restored. Only one consideration must be taken, you must NOT use the polish within the kit or any other form of polish on a car that is painted in matt paintwork as it will lose its matt finish.
Contrary to some misconceptions, matte paint can be as durable as glossy finishes when properly maintained. However, it requires specific care methods to retain its distinct appearance without becoming glossy over time.
Caring for matte paint involves specific steps. When washing, use a pH-neutral car shampoo and avoid wax-based products, as they can add shine to the matte finish. Dry the car with a microfiber towel to avoid scratches. Regularly washing your car can prevent dirt build-up, which can be harder to clean on matte surfaces. For general maintenance, use products specifically designed for matte finishes.
While matte paint requires special care, it's not necessarily harder to maintain than glossy paint. The key is using the right products and techniques. With regular maintenance and the correct cleaning approach, matte paint can maintain its unique look for years, proving to be just as resilient as traditional finishes.
Salt and road grit on the roads are particularly detrimental, as they can corrode exposed metal on the chassis and damage the paintwork. And let’s face it, when winter does hit, most of us don't have the luxury of a warm garage to apply sealant or wax to protect our cars – the cold temperatures and adverse weather conditions make it nearly impossible.
Taking these steps is not only straightforward but also a wise investment in the longevity of your vehicle. Proper winter preparation can significantly enhance your car’s resilience against the elements and ultimately contribute to its resale value if you plan to keep it for an extended period. Let’s dive into how you can effectively prepare your vehicle for the impending UK winter.
The chassis is a critical area susceptible to rust, especially in winter. Road salt and water can settle in hard-to-reach areas, causing corrosion. Even when those are bad news, applying underseal, a thick protective coating, can be an effective solution. Products like Waxoyl, a wax-based underseal, are available at motor stores either in spray or tin which we recommend to get the spray version as it’s easier accessible to small spaces. Although a DIY application is possible, it can be very messy and complex, so a professional garage application is recommended.
Your car's wheels are particularly prone to paint corrosion, a problem exacerbated by the accumulation of brake dust, which is corrosive, and the impact of road grit and salt. In winter, the frequency of car washes often decreases, leading to a situation where the wheel surface can suffer significant damage, resulting in the paint flaking off. To prevent this, here's what you need to do:
As the winter season sets in, one of the essential preparations for your car is ensuring that the coolant/antifreeze is properly maintained. This vital fluid is crucial not just for preventing the water in your car's engine from freezing in cold temperatures, but also for maintaining optimal engine performance. During winter, the risk of engine damage escalates if the coolant freezes, as it can lead to the expansion and cracking of engine components.
Moreover, coolant/antifreeze plays a dual role by also preventing the engine from overheating and protecting against corrosion, which is particularly important given the increased exposure to road salt and moisture in winter. This precautionary measure is a way to keep rusting away from appearing and spreading in our car, this is why, as car paint experts, we highly recommend it. Ensuring your car has the right type and level of coolant/antifreeze is therefore a key step in winter car care, helping to safeguard your vehicle's engine and ensure its smooth functioning throughout the season.
Maintaining regular car washes during winter is crucial, although challenging due to harsh weather conditions. This makes robust paint protection even more important. Protecting your car's paintwork goes beyond just keeping it shiny; it's about shielding it from various external elements like inclement weather, harmful UV rays that can fade paint, industrial pollutants, and corrosive salt.
For vehicle owners already facing car damage, prompt action is key to preventing further issues. When your car's paintwork is compromised by stone chips or scratches, the exposed surface becomes vulnerable to harsh weather conditions, leading to potential rust. In such situations, Chipex Touch Up Kit offers an excellent remedy. Not only does it restore the car's visual appeal, but it also adds a protective layer to shield against further environmental damage. This solution is not just about aesthetics; it's about safeguarding your car's integrity against the elements.
It's not just about keeping the car shiny, but also shielding it from elements like weather, UV rays, and salt corrosion.
Understanding the difference between polish and wax is important. Polish, which removes light scratches, enhances shine but doesn't offer much protection and is needed only occasionally. In contrast, car wax provides substantial protection by forming an invisible barrier, also adding a deep shine. It simplifies cleaning by causing water to bead and slide off. For enhanced protection, consider a car paintwork sealant, which forms a durable bond with the surface and can reduce paint chipping. Applying wax over the sealant is also beneficial, especially for ease in removing snow – a necessity in the UK. A high-quality Carnauba wax needs application only every few months, while a good sealant can last up to six months with proper care.
There are several reasons and benefits to why keeping your glass clean inside and out is hugely important in winter, including;
Keeping your motor looking tip-top - who cares for their car the most?
TL;DR
Did you know that UK drivers' car care habits vary significantly depending on the make and model of their car? Data from Chipex, a leading provider of touch-up paint kits, and the DVLA reveals fascinating insights into how different car owners approach the maintenance of their vehicles.
Understanding the Chipex Index
The index used in our analysis is a simple yet powerful tool to understand the relationship between the proportion of Chipex sales for specific car models and their representation in the DVLA's total car registrations. In simple terms, the index shows which car owners are more or less likely to purchase a Chipex touch-up paint kit, relative to the number of such cars on the road.
An index score above 100 suggests that owners of a particular car brand or model are more likely to buy a touch-up paint kit compared to what you'd expect from the number of these cars registered with the DVLA. Conversely, an index score below 100 suggests that owners of those cars are less likely to purchase a kit than expected. For example, a score of 200 (the maximum score cap in our analysis) means a car brand or model is twice as likely to have its owners buy a touch-up kit compared to the average, while a score of 50 means they are only half as likely. This gives us a fascinating insight into the car maintenance habits of different groups of car owners.
Luxury and Performance Car Owners are UK’s Proudest
BMW, Tesla, Porsche, and Jaguar top the list of car brands whose owners are most likely to purchase Chipex's touch-up paint kits, making up 12.34%, 4.96%, 3.69%, and 3.22% of sales respectively. This is particularly interesting given that these brands represent a significantly smaller share of the DVLA's total car registrations, with Tesla, for example, making up only 0.41%. This disparity shows that luxury and performance car owners are more proactive in maintaining their vehicles' appearance. Could it be that they simply take more pride in their cars?
Why are luxury car owners more likely to use Chipex products? Our take is that owners of luxury and premium cars see their vehicles as much more than just a vessel to get them from A to B. They are statement pieces, investments and most treasured possessions. Luxury cars come equipped with cutting-edge design, high-performance engines and premium ride quality, but this can be spoiled by the smallest of scuffs on the dazzling paintwork. Why spoil your dream car with an imperfection?
An unsightly blemish on the paintwork hits much harder than for owners with mainstream cars. Damage to the paintwork weighs heavy on the mind of the luxury car owner, whereas others just learn to live with it.
The data showed this to be for other iconic luxury car brands like Aston Martin, Ferrari, and Lotus, which despite having lower sales shares (0.40%, 0.20%, and 0.22% respectively), have index scores reaching the maximum of 200.
Such is the reach and trust in Chipex's quality, that their touch-up paint kits even find their way into the hands of McLaren owners, further highlighting the appeal of these kits to supercar enthusiasts who value their vehicle's immaculate appearance.
Electric Car Owners Want To Keep Their Cars In Pristine Condition
The data also shows an intriguing trend among electric vehicle owners. Both Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model Y appear on the list of models whose owners are most likely to use Chipex touch-up kits. This implies that electric car owners, despite being a smaller share of the car market, are keen to keep their vehicles in prime condition. Perhaps this stems from the forward-thinking, sustainable mindset of early adopters of electric vehicles.
Taking Care of Business
Interestingly, commercial vehicles like the Volkswagen Transporter and the Ford Transit Custom are also high on the list. These models' presence in Chipex's sales data hints that businesses are keen to keep their fleets looking smart and professional. After all, a well-kept vehicle can help project a positive image for a business.
Mainstream Cars Owners Not Hellbent On Perfection
On the other end of the spectrum, more mainstream and family-oriented brands like Vauxhall, Toyota, Nissan, and Hyundai have lower index scores of 39, 51, 47, and 56 respectively, suggesting that owners of these brands are happier to put up with imperfections. It doesn’t necessarily mean the safety or performance of the car is compromised, so repairing the damage isn’t a priority.
Similarly, compact cars from Fiat and Smart, with index scores of 53 and 33 respectively, also rank lower on the list. This might indicate that smaller vehicles are less prone to paint damage or that their owners have different attitudes towards DIY car maintenance.
One assumption is that owners of family cars might come to expect a degree of ‘wear and tear’ when ferrying the kids around, so the odd chip or scuff might simply be inevitable and less of a concern when it happens. We should also consider that owners of these cars might have less time to examine the paintwork and make the repairs.
The 'Not-So-Pampered' Cars
While many car owners can't resist giving their beloved vehicles the five-star treatment, Chipex sales data suggests that owners of a few models might be a bit more... relaxed when it comes to their cars' cosmetics.
Take the Nissan Micra, for example. With an index score of 20, it seems like Micra owners might be more excited about getting from A to B than worrying about a few minor scratches and chips.
Then we have the Vauxhall Zafira, scoring an 18. This hardworking family car might carry the battle scars of weekend adventures and the school run with pride, but a little bit of Chipex could keep it looking as young as it feels!
But the real champion of the carefree look is the Peugeot 207, with the lowest index score of 15. It seems 207 owners aren't too fussed about a beauty spot or two on their trusty ride.
Remember, love for a car isn't always about keeping it spotless. After all, each scratch tells a story and every chip is a badge of honour from the open road!
Car Makes with the Highest Chipex Index Scores
Make |
Index Score |
BMW |
200 |
Tesla |
200 |
Porsche |
200 |
Jaguar |
200 |
Alfa Romeo |
200 |
Aston Martin |
200 |
Abarth |
200 |
Lotus |
200 |
Maserati |
200 |
Ferrari |
200 |
TVR |
200 |
Car Makes with Lowest Chipex Index Scores
Make |
Index Score |
Vauxhall |
39 |
Toyota |
51 |
Nissan |
47 |
Peugeot |
55 |
Hyundai |
56 |
Renault |
59 |
Kia |
44 |
Citroen |
49 |
Fiat |
53 |
Suzuki |
39 |
Dacia |
26 |
Jeep |
60 |
Smart |
33 |
Chevrolet |
40 |
Understanding the 'Why' Behind Touch-Up Kits
When it comes to why people buy touch-up paint kits, it's essential to remember that the reasons vary significantly. Chipex's touch-up kits aren't solely the reserve of those who've had an accident or experienced significant damage to their car. In fact, many customers purchase these kits as a part of their regular vehicle maintenance routine or to address minor cosmetic issues that inevitably arise over time.
People take immense pride in their vehicles, and maintaining the vehicle's aesthetic appeal is just as important to many car owners as ensuring its mechanical soundness. A car's paint job is its first line of defence against the elements, and regular touch-ups can help preserve the vehicle's finish and prevent more severe damage down the line, such as rust.
It's also crucial to consider the age of the car. Older vehicles, especially those with discontinued or hard-to-find colours, might require touch-up paint kits more frequently due to ageing and wear-and-tear. On the other hand, newer car models might use such kits for minor blemishes and to keep their vehicle looking brand-new for as long as possible.
Ultimately, buying a touch-up paint kit is as much about prevention and maintenance as it is about repair, reflecting the ongoing care that drivers invest in their cars.
In the light of these insights, the data might not necessarily indicate that owners of luxury cars like BMW, Tesla, and McLaren are more prone to damaging their vehicles. Instead, it suggests that these car owners may be more proactive in preserving their vehicle's appearance and taking preventive steps to ensure it stays in tip-top shape. This proactive attitude to car care seems to permeate across owners of newer models, performance cars, and even classic cars, where a perfect finish helps retain their value and charm.
Explore the Data
We've only just scratched the surface of what the Chipex sales data can reveal about the car care habits of different groups of car owners. Whether you're a data nerd, a car enthusiast, or just plain curious, you can dive into the full data set to discover more. Find out which cars get the most TLC, which could use a little more love, and how your own car stacks up. The full data sheet, complete with all the manufacturer and model breakdowns, is just a click away.
Follow this link to access the raw data.
Sources:
Chipex UK sales data
DVLA
But this is not a warning sign that you can plead ignorance with. Leave it blinking for long enough without a check-up, and your car might suffer from catastrophic engine failure. Simply put, ignore the check engine light, and the issues will only get worse. But could they really be that bad? Well, funnily enough, it can come on even for faults as simple as your fuel cap is a tad loose.
In that sense, the check engine light is quite misunderstood, as it could be trying to alert on a wide variety of differing problems. Some of them are major, while others are trivial. Nevertheless, seeing it turn on is a sign that you should get your car checked, just to make sure. We can, at least, narrow things down to a few key reasons why your check engine light is on in the first place.
1. Loose Fuel Cap
Starting with the most simple, and harmless, we have the aforementioned loose fuel cap. You might think the cap is only there to keep the fuel in, and you would be mostly right. However, it also serves to prevent fumes from leaving the fuel tank, thus affecting the pressure of the fuel within. The result of which can have an impact on the efficiency of your car's fuel delivery system.
This may even affect how your car drives if the sensors are detecting that something is amiss. A loose fuel cap is one of the most common triggers of a check engine light. Should it come on immediately after a fuel stop, then you may want to tighten the fuel cap, or make sure you've not left it behind. Otherwise, you may need to replace it with a new fuel cap.
2. Oxygen Sensor Failure
Every modern car has something called an O2 sensor, or oxygen sensor. Its primary role is to check and measure the amount of unburnt fuel inside of a car's exhaust system. Based on the data of how much O2 is left behind, it can then send it to your car's central computer brain, which will then be able to coordinate and regulate more effectively the mixture of air and fuel to enter the cylinders.
In essence, the O2 sensor will calibrate the most efficient combustion process as is possible. That said, O2 sensors can fail over time. When it does happen, your car won't break entirely. However, it will start burning more fuel than is necessary, which can wear out or damage other parts such as the catalytic converters or spark plugs. Some modern cars have more than one O2 sensor.
Speaking of catalytic converters, emissions-related problems will trigger your check engine light to flash. The catalytic converter is a part of your car's exhaust system. Its job is to scrub away the dirty carbon monoxide released during the combustion process of the engine and turns it into more tolerable carbon dioxide. Although designed to last a long time and is durable, they can fail.
When it does, it will prompt the check engine light to appear. Catalytic converters are unfortunately among the most expensive repairs and replacements that you can do on a car. Thus, it's worthwhile to keep it in good condition before it wears out and breaks completely. Something as simple as keeping up your car's regular maintenance can prevent excess strain to the catalytic converter.
4. Mass Airflow Sensor Failure
The MAF, or mass airflow sensor is one of the most important units in your car's combustion cycle. Working on the opposite end of the O2 sensor from earlier, the MAF sensor monitors how much air is entering your vehicle. This data, once again, will be communicated to your car's central computer brain, where it can then calculate the most ideal mixture of fuel and air to match.
The use of a MAF sensor, therefore, can adjust how your car is burning fuel depending on say, if there is a change in altitude or climate. Without the MAF sensor, your engine will run inefficiently and could start wearing down key components. When it does fail, it can either inform you with a check engine light, or through signs like a rough idle, reduced fuel mileage, or trouble starting.
5. Spark Plug Or Ignition Coil Problems
Aside from emissions-related faults, defects within the combustion system of your car will also cause the check engine light to come on. One of these examples includes a problem with either the spark plugs or the ignition coil. They function as one, where the ignition coil would generate and provide electricity that the spark plugs would require to spark the air-fuel mixture to combust.
Most modern cars have one coil per cylinder, so if you have a V6, it would have six ignition coils. As with most things on a car, they, and the spark plugs, will require a replacement after some time. They can cause inconveniences over time such as developing a misfire, or if there is a sudden loss in performance. If they have an issue within them, it will let you know through a check engine light.
6. Vacuum Leak
Many cars today have a vacuum system installed that's delegated to handle a lot of things at once. For example, the brake booster is vacuum-operated, while the vacuum system as a whole helps to reduce your car's toxic emissions by routing the fumes as the fuel evaporates through the engine. If the check engine light comes on, though, it might signal to you that there's a vacuum leak.
This may or may not occur at the same time you're experiencing issues like your car idling at very high and unusual RPMs. Vacuum leaks are caused by numerous things, such as the vacuum hoses themselves drying out and crack as it's exposed to constant temperature changes. Meanwhile, it may also be caused by cracked fittings or loose connections.
7. Exhaust Gas Recirculation Valve Failure
This more or less functions like the vacuum system, in that the exhaust gas recirculation valve, or EGR valve, redirects gasses from one end of the car to the next. In this case, it can lower the amount of nitrogen oxide from a car's engine, and thus reduce the emissions and makes it run more efficiently. It can direct the hot exhaust gasses back into the engine's combustion chambers.
This warms up the fuel, and makes it easier to burn. However, the EGR valve can get clogged up after a while, and would need a service. Otherwise, they could fail completely. In either case, it will prompt you to have it checked out through a check engine light. If not, you can expect to see your car releasing more emissions, losing performance, and burning more fuel.
]]>According to the DVLA, black remains by far the most sought-after shade of paint in the UK. Yet, there is one very severe drawback with black, or any other darkened colour - scratches. You may not be seen so often in a black car, but those scratches, scuffs, dings, and chips will show up far more prominently in a black (or very dark) car than anything else, a tad overdramatised than it really is.
Does Black Scratch More Easily?
Now, a particularly odd myth that goes around is how black paint somehow gets scratched more easily. That's not true, as it's basically the same formulation underneath as any other colour, no matter how dark or light they might be. Thus, they both have the same properties when faced with damage. However, those scratches are often deep enough to penetrate to the surface of your car
The steel bodywork below is a shiny metallic colour. Even if it does expose only the primer - which goes before the paint, sitting between it and the car's bare paneling - there's still a sharp contrast in colour from black. This contrast is why scratches and scuffs on black cars appear more visible than on lighter colours. On the bright side, at least black is just as easy to fix as any other hue.
The Fix (And The Prep)
But first and foremost before we think about buffing out those scratches on your blackened car, we first need to get it cleaned up. After all, we don't want contaminants, particles, dirt, or anything else to get in the way. These also include layers of old wax, some ceramic coating that you may have on there before, dead bugs, bird droppings, debris, markings, brake dust, and so on.
Washing your car is simple enough. Have two or three buckets - one for clean water, and the others for rinsing away the contaminants - and a sponge or mitt. Then, have some soap ready. Make sure you're not using household solutions like dish soap either, as that's a degreaser that could strip out any protective layers you have on your car. Instead, use some proper car washing shampoo.
Then, hose it down, and dry it thoroughly with a microfibre towel. Once the cleaning part is done, you'll have to discern the type, or in other words, the severity of the scratch that you're trying to fix. Some scratches are far deeper, and thus harder to fix than others. We can narrow this down to three types of paint-level scratches:
Clearcoat Scratches - The most common type of scratch, and is the easiest to fix. It's a fairly minor problem to have, as the scratch has merely affected the transparent top layer clearcoat of the paint, and hasn't yet pierced into the basecoat below.
Deeper Paint Scratches - This is where the scratch has gone through the clearcoat and has damaged the actual (black) paint itself. Sometimes, the scratches are deep enough to affect the bottom-most primer. This is a harder fix, as it requires you to touch up the scuffed paintwork.
Paint Transfer Scratches- If you happen to have scraped your car against something else of colour, the paint from that obstacle may - with enough force - transfer its colour and stick it onto your car. This can go both ways in seriousness, as the new paint may either affect only the clearcoat, or it could've gone into the basecoat itself.
Remember that paints have several layers - the primer below that bonds the paint on top to the bare metal or plastic body, the basecoat that carries the colour of your car, and the clearcoat that forms a transparent protective layer on top.
You can tell the type of scratch you have using the fingernail test. Run your nails along the length of the scratch. If it catches onto something, it means that the scratch has gone through the clearcoat. However, if there's no resistance at all, then it tells you that the scratch is very likely only surface-level damage.
1. Clearcoat Scratches
You'll need some very fine - 2,000 to 3,000 grit - sandpaper. Soak the sandpaper in water, and then wet sand the scratched up area very gently. Even it out until the scratch is no longer visible, and do be careful not to remove the clearcoat. Keep at it until the scratch is no longer visible, and then give your car a wash to remove all the sandpaper residue. Then, dry it with a microfibre towel.
2. Deeper Paint Scratches
This will be more difficult to repair. You'll first have to sand down the surface once more, using a coarser grade - roughly 1,500 grit - of sandpaper to peel away the clearcoat, basecoat, and the primer too if that's been affected. You're recommended to use the wet sanding technique for this one to help expedite the process. Keep sanding until you reach the bottom-most pit of the scratch.Then, you can apply the primer. It needs only a thin application, and do wait until this dries before moving on. Once the primer's all dried up, you can start to add the basecoat colour, which in this case, is black. Make sure you buy a matching colour of touch-up paint solution, which will either come as a paint pen or a brush for you to apply it. It's not a large surface area, after all.
Start brushing or painting the touch-up paint. You may need more than one layer of basecoat to get a better look, and to ensure that it's level with the surrounding paintwork. Apply one coat, and then let it dry to apply another or two more layers. Once that's dried out, you could move on to applying the clearcoat, and then letting that one dry further. It might take a few hours per coat to dry.
3. Paint Transfer Scratches
The thing to bear in mind here is that we only want to remove the transferred paint. To do this, we will need some lubricant, which you can very easily substitute for a bottle of WD40. Spray some of it onto the scuffed up area to soften up the paint, and be careful not to be overzealous. Only use the lubricant on the damaged zones to prevent it from affecting the rest of your car's paint.
Once the WD40 or any other lubricant has been applied, grab a foam sponge, and dunk it in warm water. Then, just keep scrubbing until the transferred paint comes off. As you're doing this, scrub it in the same direction to follow along the length of the scratch. You can spray on more lubricant to make this easier, as scrubbing it off with the sponge may require a lot of muscle
]]>For those who don't know, 'blending' is a process where you're helping to perfect the transition from the car's newly touched-up paint over a damaged area, and the rest of your car's paintwork that's already there. Naturally, the new and old paints might not match perfectly, even if they're both the exact same colour. The shading or texture might be slightly off. Usually, this won't be too obvious.
But sometimes, it can be a sight for sore eyes to see this one odd spot on your car, even if you're only touching up a small crack or chip. The slightest colour change will be very obvious, either darker or lighter, or perhaps the paint itself comes from a different batch or mix, which is different from the exact hue that you were expecting. This is why blending is such an important aspect of car paints.
>What Is Blending?
Let's say you've had your car sent to a body- or paint-shop to have a newly fitted bumper repainted after a repair. The process of blending involves the painter(s) trying their best at matching the colour and appearance of the paint that they'll apply solely on the bumper, to the rest of the car's fascia. This is essentially, therefore, a trick of the eye to make it seem like they're two coherent pieces.
It's as though the bumper was the same colour and finish as the surrounding body panels, such as the fenders, bonnet, and so on. This is a common practice among professional paint shops, as rather than have the customer spend thousands painting the entire car, why not just have a single panel or two painted. This is a huge saving because paints are very complex to get it right.
You might be asking yourself - why can't you just get the perfectly matched paint in the first place? For example, why not take the precise batch of paint off your particular car, and one that's made in the same factory under controlled conditions such as temperature and humidity, and mix that one instead? Unfortunately, it's nigh on impossible to align the new and old paint's finish on the dot.
Causes For Imperfections
The car manufacturer, for example, might've ordered paints from different suppliers and companies. Although they've all agreed to the same underlying tone, subtle differences do appear. Or, perhaps the rest of your car's old and untouched paint has faded or dulled over the years and thus appears more aged than the new and freshly coated touch-up.
Plus, there are some other variables at play as to why your newly applied paint doesn't match up with your car's existing paint, all factors for when you're putting on the paint...
The Blending Process
Right, so now that we've got the background of paint blending out of the way, how could we do and practice this on our car to make its paint looks as cohesive as possible. For a start, let this be a reminder that you can't - unless you're extremely talented and have had experiences with paint - easily blend touch-up paint using a paint pen or brush, which are the most common applicants.
Using either of these may make the touched-up paint appear darker, and this will be amplified once the clear coat is painted on. So, we'll rely on a spray gun, or spray can for this one...
Step 1: Tape off the areas around the damaged area, so that you don't accidentally blend perfectly good paint. Set up an area with a 2-feet radius from the centre of the point of damage with the use of masking tape, and maybe some old newspapers.
Step 2 Scuff up a bit of the paint within that soon-to-be blended area with sandpaper. We don't want to coarse of sandpaper here, as we only need to sand away the upper layer of paint. A 2,000 grit sandpaper will be perfect for the job and be careful not to go over the edges of that 2-feet area.
Step 3 To prevent the risk of contaminants getting into the touch-up paint later, it's a good time to clean up the already sanded area. Use some water and mild car washing shampoo, and don't use any wax. Afterwards, dry out your car thoroughly with a clean microfibre towel.
Step 4 Now, you can start to apply the bottom basecoat layer over the section that you'd want to blend. As you're applying the paint, move the spray gun back and forth in a uniform pattern. Also, start the painting from the edge of the repaired area, and gradually spray less and less paint until you reach a distance of 1-feet, at which point you're applying only a thin mist. This is to trick your eyes into not easily knowing where the paint stops, and where it begins.
Step 5As you're applying the paint, you'll need two to three layers (or coats) of the basecoat done. After each layer, wait to make sure it's properly dried before adding the next layer, and so on. After all the layers are complete, leave the car untouched to settle and cure overnight.
Step 6 Inspect to see if the basecoat has blended nicely with the rest of the paint. If it's all good, then you can move on to the upper clearcoat layer. Apply two thin layers of clearcoat with the same method as you used before, to give your car its shiny and glossy sheen. When that's done, leave it to cure for two days
Step 7: The blended paint may still carry some imperfections, so it's a good idea to buff out all the flecks, blobs, impurities, and so forth. Immerse a 1,500 grit sandpaper in water, and proceed to wet sand the blended area. Carefully move in uniform strokes, and re-wet the sandpaper as you go along. Then, you can move to a finer 2,000 grit sandpaper to once again wet sand and even out the surface.
Step 8: Give your car another wash, and examine your car under sunlight to see if the blending was a success. If there's still contrast between the old and new paint, you can go ahead and try to wet sand the blended area again.
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It's odd to think that a machine like your car, usually assumed to be robust and long-lasting, needs any sort of prep at all for the colder climate to come. Does a bit of snow, or frosty mornings really have that big of an impact on your car? Indeed it does, and while modern cars are engineered to be far more resistant to simple changes in temperature, there are a few things that you should check.
So, let's go through a simple, yet crucial checklist to have at the ready to have done on your car, as we get closer to the year's end, as the air around us turns into frozen crystals...
The To-Do List
Winter Tyres - Tyres are designed and fine-tuned to differing climates, and you can opt to have them in Summer, All-Season, or Winter tyres. As the name suggests, winter tyres have been re-engineered to provide more grip, and thus improved cornering and braking, while the road surfaces are turning icy. This won't just improve your car's performance in the cold, but also significantly boost its safety.
Tyre Treads - Any tyre - winter or otherwise - won't be able to provide any traction at all if they're completely bald, or are going to. Not only would they increase your stopping distance, but they might also compromise your handling. Rotate them around if necessary. You can check the condition of the treads by inserting a 20p coin. If you can't see the outer band (roughly 2mm), then the grooves should be deep enough.
Tyre Pressure - Following a familiar theme here; whether or not you choose to opt for winter tyres, one thing is for certain - tyre pressure must be monitored as regularly as possible. In fact, your tyres can start deflating a little as the temperature drops to below 0°c. As the conditions are absolutely tough out there, a sufficiently inflated tyre will ensure that you can have all the traction that you need.
Brakes - While you're checking out your tyres, you may as well think about your brakes, too. The brakes undergo an immense amount of strain when winter's arrived. This is exacerbated not only by you needing to brake more often to slow your car down, but also due to moisture and salt on the road surface. The latter two can cause the brakes to start rusting, which may cause problems over time.
Battery - The chemicals inside a lithium-ion battery in your car can be impacted by the temperature. If it's too cold, it can reduce the effectiveness of your car's battery, and possibly even affect its ability to function, such as starting up your car. Thus, it's always a good idea to check the condition of your car's battery if it's getting cold out, especially so if your battery is more than 2-3 years old.
Fluids - Your car has many different fluids for cooling, lubrication, hydraulics, or elsewhere, and it's vital that you have them topped up, or replaced before winter. Your coolant, for example, should hopefully have some antifreeze in it to keep the flow going when it's cold out, while also providing rust protection for your car's cooling system. The motor oil, meanwhile, undergoes a lot of strain
during winter times caused by fuel or water contamination. So, have that one looked into as well, alongside brake fluids, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, and so on.
Window Wipers - If the air is turning frosty on you, ice might start building up on your windshield. To keep your vision clear, consider changing out your wipers if they're getting old. Even better, you may want to invest in the specialty winter windshield wipers that provide improved wiping performance to push away heavy snow and ice, as well as provide some protection against it freezing.
Washer Fluid - As the snow turns your windshield into a frosty mess, or perhaps its salt and muck that was thrown up onto your car's glass, you'll be clearing that quite often. Remember then to have your car's washer fluid reservoir topped up, and perhaps carry an extra bottle for emergencies. You may also like to consider getting some unique winter washersolutions that are built to not freeze up.
Fuel - Get ready to fuel up, and try to brim the tanks if you can before it turns snowy. Cold weather can cause condensation or moisture to build up inside of the fuel tank, which could sooner or later result in frozen fuel lines, fuel pump problems, as well as other serious issues. This is easily avoidable by replacing all that otherwise empty space inside of the tank with fuel, and keep it topped up.
Lubrication - If by some chance it's going to get really cold where you're at, you may want to add some lubricant to your door locks, latches, hinges, window seals, and perhaps even the bonnet, boot lid, or hatch tail-gate. Usually, these are silicone lubricating compounds that you're after. By spraying all these openable panels or areas of your car, you can prevent them from freezing shut.
Survival Kit - Some might say it's unnecessary, but if you were to get stuck in the middle of a winter storm, or if there's an emergency, a survival kit is a must. Keep it stuffed up inside your car, and have it ready. Among the things to include are perishable food items, first aid supplies, winter clothing, gloves, blankets, a spare tyre, battery jumper cables, a windshield scraper, shovel, matches, a lighter, a torch (with extra batteries), and a few more bits and bobs to get you prepared, just in case.
]]>However, and as crucial as they may be to your car's performance, basic functionality, and safety, brakes aren't made to last forever. Eventually, they'll start to lose their bite, and are in need of a full replacement. But how long do brakes actually last? And when we mean brakes, we of course meant the 'brake pads', which are the frictional pads that rub against the brake discs to slow you down.
More Miles Than You'd Think
Those brake pads are the most frequently serviced item within your car's entire braking system. Well, it turns out, your brake pads can go for a lot longer than you might expect. Nevertheless, they do get worn down pretty heavily a lot of the time, thanks purely to the intense friction and heat that is exerted every time they're clamped down onto the discs to scrub away speed to slow down your car.
Naturally, there are a lot of different factors that come into play to influence how many miles you can get out of the brake pads before they're beyond use. You should always refer to your owner's manual to understand the exact mileage that you're recommended to swap out the pads, based on your car manufacturer's own design and testing. This will give you a more precise reading.
In general, though, most brake pads on average last anywhere between 15,000 to 40,000 miles if we're looking at the broader market for cars today. Understandably, that's a very wide range, with 15,000 miles being only realistic for heavy-duty or high-performance vehicles that use their brakes more often. 40,000 miles, meanwhile, is a good figure for some of the more economical cars.
Just to be safe, many technicians round that up to 20,000 miles, as the best mileage interval that you should have your brake pads checked, and then replaced if necessary. This applies to most cars that you'll encounter. If you're sending out your car for its regular service, then the brakes are among the components that get checked frequently, so you'll likely not have to worry about it.
Warning Signs To Look Out For
But let's say the brakes haven't been inspected or replaced in a while, or if your local dealership has been skimping on its check-up procedures... How can you tell that you may need a new set of brake pads? On the bright side, problems or wear with your brake pads can be fairly easy to notice, and these symptoms usually afford you ample time to prepare for a replacement.
So, let's take a look at some of the red flags to spot, just so you know that it's right about time for a brake pad replacement:
A step up in seriousness would be the sound of metallic grinding or a screech in some cases. This is bad, as it means that your brake pads have likely worn themselves out completely bare. Hence, the brake discs are now making contact with the brake callipers - which are the ones responsible for clamping the brake pads down - and prolonged use can cause catastrophic damage.
If you feel vibrations while under braking, this might be a tell-tale sign that your brake discs are perhaps warped. When this happens, you'll be wearing out your brake pads unevenly, and its overall performance will be characterised as a shudder any time you press the brake pedal. This will get worse over time.
Making Them Go The Distance
So, having learned that your brake pads will inevitably need an unavoidable replacement, is there a way that you can get around this. Well, there are at least more than just a few ways that you can practice to effectively and efficiently extend the usable lifespan of your car's brake pads. The first, and most obvious, would be to change up your driving style to put less strain on them.
This is by far and away the primary reason why most need to go through multiple sets of pads over the lifetime of their cars. Consider driving slowly when you can, as lower speeds mean that the pads won't need to exert as much friction to slow you down. Also, think twice about exuberant driving next time. The more frequently you brake, and the harder you lean on them, the more it'll wear.
If you own a manual, you can learn something called 'engine braking' to slow your car down instead of relying on the brakes. This is where you gently let your foot off the accelerator and downshift gradually through the gears to slow down your car. Realistically, you can do this with any car, since you can cruise it to a halt to lose momentum. Only use the brakes if you need to stop in a hurry.
]]>Be it a brush or a bottle, it makes the job of repainting your car far simpler and cheaper than the old-school method of having an entire section be repainted professionally, otherwise costing you hundreds or thousands of pounds in repairs. But there is at least one point of concern that you'll need to worry about as you're pondering over touching up your car's paint - the temperature.
Paints, after all, are very complex chemical compounds that require a specific set of factors for them to be thoroughly applied, in it adhering to your car's paint, drying sufficiently, and being presented nicely. The temperature of the air, surface of your car, and the paint itself play a crucial role, as is the climate the humidity around you. So, just how hot is too hot for touching up your car's paint?
The Goldilocks Zone
But first, let's look into the most ideal temperature you'll need to painting or touching-up your car. The science behind how all these works will look deep into the chemistry of the paint, and its chemical reactions that are necessary for it to cure (or dry), as well as it sticking to the surface of your car's bodywork, and blending in neatly in colour, levelling, and texture to the rest of the untouched paint.
Too hot or cold, and the paint touch-up can interfere with the paint's ability to coalesce and bond to your car. In effect, it can cause the polymer particles to have insufficient energy to move about and bounce around (if the temperature is too cold), and vice versa. Neither is a good circumstance to be painting your car, and we thus recommend that you stick between 6°C to 32°C, just to be safe.
This is a very broad range for ambient temperatures to be applying touch-up paint, and remember that it will vary from one paint to the next. The ideal temperatures to be applying any sort of paint is around 15°C to 25°C, including a relative humidity of the air of less than 85%. In this case, you're best left to do the painting in an insulated, ventilated, well-lit, and humidity-controlled garage.
What Exactly Does Temperature Effect?
Okay, so that's the science out of the way, how does varying temperature affect you while you're in the process of applying touch-up paint? Well, temperature - either too hot, too cold, or just right - will impact the drying times for your paint. More specifically, the drying times for each layer of an alkyd, oil, or water-based paint, which most touch-up paint solutions are made of.
The basecoat, which represents the primary contributor of paint and colour, needs at least two to three or more layers each to get the full effect. This meaning that the paint can sit evenly with the rest of the car - as it's more filled in - and the colour blends in nicely in its hue and texture. Before you can apply a new layer, however, the one before and below it needs to properly dry and cure.
Let's say, for example, that it's too chilly out. This means that the touch-up paint will take more time to dry, so you'll have to wait longer between coats. Instead of around four hours to dry when the temperature is a perfect 20°C, it may take six or more hours if it drops to 6°C or below. It won't just affect your patience, but there will be more than a few imperfections in the paint once it does dry.
Just Make Sure It's Not Too Hot
So far, we can conclude that hotter is better when it comes to painting or touching up your car, as it enables the paint's chemistry to function as intended. However, do remember that painting your car while the temperatures around you are toasty hot is equally a big no-no. In fact, you should avoid painting at all under direct sunlight, or if the ambient temps reach 35°C or higher, and is humid.
40°C or more, and you're really asking for trouble now. With this warmer weather, your touch-up paint will dry too quickly. While you personally will want to move on as quickly as possible to the next coat, the paint needs a bit more time to cure appropriately. In some cases, the drying times for each coat of paint will be cut by half or more, which can be catastrophic to the paint finish.
Here are just some side effects of applying touch-up paint (or old-school repainting) to a car when the climate around you is too sunny and hot...
In conclusion, having your car painted or touched up in hot and humid weather isn't just unkind and discomforting to your body (and mind) while you have to work underneath the beaming sun, but it also does terrible things to how the paint will stick, cure, and look. Rather than living with all the defects, do try to stick to that ideal temperature range between 15°C to 25°C for the best results.
]]>The chemicals inside touch-up paint are just as complex as paints typically are. Thus, they need a set of unique circumstances to be properly applied, and the climate that it's exposed to while the touch-up is happening is one of those factors. The humidity and temperature are the most important ones to think about anytime you're painting your car, be it a small bottle and brush, or with a spray can.
But what if you have no choice? What if it's rapidly approaching winter soon - while the air around you is slowly dropping into crystalline coldness - and you need your car's scratches and chips covered up to prevent damage, or even worse, rust? Rust, of course, can easily eat into the now-exposed and unpainted layer to corrode the bodywork of your car. How cold then, is too cold for paint touch-ups?
For Paint - Hot > Cold
Firstly, what's the science between the effects of temperature on how a paint properly cures - that is to say, sufficiently dried and "painted" onto the bodywork or panel? In layman's terms, this involves knowing how the compounds in the paint are able to dry themselves, and ensuring that the necessary chemical reactions occur smoothly so that the newly-applied touch-up can adhere to the car's bodywork.
More importantly, it needs to "blend" in with the rest of the original, untouched paint. Generally, we can say that hotter temperatures are far better than colder weather when it comes to using touch-up paint. Depending on the touch-up solution that you're using, the recommended temperature to let it cure will vary. But on average, an ambient temperature between 6°C to 35°C is okay enough.
Ideally, try to stick to around 15°C to 25°C with most touch-up paints, which is the best for painting or touching up your car. That, combined with a humidity of less than 85% is a healthy balance between letting it cure sufficiently, but neither too quickly nor slowly. Thus, you're best left to touch up your car's paint in a well-lit, insulated, heated, humidity-controlled, and adequately ventilated garage.
What Happens If You Paint Your Car While It's Too Cold Outside?
But what if you don't have a garage, and it's getting too cold outside? Could you still make do with a touch-up in a pinch anyway? Well, it depends. You see, colder temperatures won't enable the paint to dry quickly enough, and slows down the overall drying time for each layer or coating of alkyd, oil, or water-based paints (which most touch-up solutions are made of). Remember, you need several coats.
Cold conditions can interfere with the paint's ability to coalesce and bond with your car. If it's too chilly out when you're applying the paint - especially so if the surface that you're painting is rock solid - the polymer particles in the paint don't have sufficient energy to move around and bounce together. Thus, the temperature of the surface, paint, and air need to be ideal for it to "stick".
For the basecoat - the primary base colour for the paint - you may need two to three (or more) coats on top of one another to get the full effect, and thus levelling out your paint to match the rest of the car, while also making sure the colour matches and blends nicely. And before you can add the new layer, you also have to make sure that the layer of touch-up paint below that one dries thoroughly.
When it's cold out, you'll need to wait longer before applying another layer. For example, if there's a more ideal ambient temperature of around 20°C, you may have to wait around four hours for each layer to dry - though this will vary depending on what paint touch-up you're using. But if the temperature drops to say, 6°C or below, it might take six or more hours for that layer to dry.
This effect is worsened if you use oil-based paints, which are then applied with a spray can or gun. This way, the layer of paint won't be able to dry (or cure) properly, and there will be one or several of these side effects as a consequence:
Some Dry Faster Than Others
So far then, we know now that temperature is crucial when it comes to deciding as to the when and where of getting your car's paint touched up. Overall, let's try to avoid painting your car at all when the temperature drops to 6°C or less around you - although some paints are more sensitive, and need at least 15°C to dry properly. It's worth noting as well, that paint pens and brushes dry quicker.
Spray cans or guns may make the painting job easier over a larger surface, but its wider application does come at the cost of drying times. Therefore, you can more comfortably use paint brushes or pens - which most touch-up kits come with, anyway - in colder climates compared to a spray gun. Another important thing to look at is the clearcoat, which goes on top of the basecoat.
This thin and transparent layer of paint aids in protecting the colourful basecoat below it from any debris or damage. Clearcoat also needs to cure adequately, and cold temperatures can have a huge - arguably bigger - impact on the drying of the mostly urethane-based paint. The entire curing process can slow down, or stop entirely if the temperatures around you drop to below around 15°C.
]]>If a potential buyer were to stumble upon your car with a "FOR SALE" sign on it, they may be more than slightly put off if it's dirty. Imagine the dullness of the paint, with scratches and dents aplenty, even if the machine underneath is practically pristine. Should a buyer be willing to stomach the sore sight of your car, you may still lose a lot more in resale or trade-in value. For what... Aesthetics?
Indeed, looks are just as important when it comes time to sell your car, as is whether it's actually running, or whether you've been attentive to its servicing. So, if you're planning to sell or trade your car in anytime soon, make some serious considerations to bring out the buckets and soap for a good scrub. An hour or two of work could, in effect, enable you to net a fatter profit on your car.
An Old Myth
First, let's debunk an old tale that's passed on across the generations - "you don't need to clean out your car before a trade". This is very untrue, and may hurt your chances when it comes time to have it appraised, or if the would-be buyer is keen on making an offer. The reason why that argument has existed in the first place is simple because; why would you have it cleaned when it's going away?
True, you'll soon no longer have to worry about your car anymore, so it - at first glance - does make a bit of sense why you really needn't have to care for how it looks. However, there are a few good reasons why you should absolutely pay close attention to how your car is presented in regards to its appearance or if there's any exterior damage, to net you the best possible trade-in or resale value...
How To Have Your Car Cleaned?
Right, now that we've settled on WHY you should have your car cleaned thoroughly, we'll now get into HOW you can proceed. There are a few ways that you can go about this, varying in difficulty and thoroughness. This will, of course, differ on your circumstance, and how disgusting your car is, but are all nonetheless important steps in restoring your car's sheen. So, let's take a look...
LEVEL 1 - Cleaning And Waxing
The most basic here is getting your car cleaned, as you would do normally. The first step here is to get rid of loose junk inside the car. Stuff like paper towels, chips, plastic bags, or other large items that might've been left behind somewhere. Then, get the vacuum cleaner out and suck out all the loose debris and particles. The carpets are the first things that you should look towards.
Leaves, dirt, pebbles, and all that can go away now. After that, point it to the harder to reach areas such as in between and under your seats, or the tiny folds in the cushions. Remember to clean out all the compartments too, such as the glove box, centre console, cup holders, and so on. If it's too small of a spot to get into, you can use a cotton swab or Q-tips. Then, wipe down all the interior trim.
This includes the windows, as well. Once the interior of the car is spotless top to bottom, get out the buckets, sponges, and hoses to have your car's bodywork washed up. All you need is a simple car washing shampoo, so there's no need to go overboard with cleaning products. And be sure to take your time, and ensure that you're thorough to give it as close to a showroom finish as possible.
LEVEL 2 - The Details
Getting your car detailedis a step above just merely having it washed, which is enough on its own. But it's worthwhile if you have the time and patience. Once you have the car all nice and clean, you can have it polished and waxed to give its paintwork that shine it deserves, and once had. Then, you can bring out the special products to gloss the tyres, and mind all the brake dust on your wheels.
If you'd like to be even more complete in cleaning your car, pop open the engine bay and have that cleaned up, too. Do be careful not to just dunk a bucket of water in there and start sponging. You'll need some high-quality degreaser to get all the oily grime off. With a brush in hand, you can then start removing the chemical residue around all the belts and hoses, slowly and cautiously.
Once you're done with that, perhaps the head- and tail-lights need defogging. They can turn yellow and dulled out after a while. Thankfully, you can have this cleaned out right quick with just a bottle of toothpaste! Oh, and don't just restrict yourself to looks. The smell of your car is important too, so use proper deodorisers to start shooing away all the old, musky scents.
]]>Even the plain novice can apply a touch-up kit to a poorly chipped paintwork in no time at all, and with a lot of ease to spare. Yet, we do have thoughts running in our minds while touching up the paint, such as whether or not it's necessary to put a clear coat layer on top. Does it really make your car look better once the whole touch-up process is complete? Well, we've got some answers.
What Is Clear Coat?
The first thing that we should address is answering the question of what a clear coat is. For this, we can explain it a bit better once you understand more about the many layers at play when spraying on paints, be it a simple touch-up or a full respray. Every single layer has its own role to play, such as smoothening out and protecting the bodywork, or giving your car its flashy colours...
Filler - Technically, this isn't paint, but is one optional step in painting a car. It's the bottom-most layer in some cases, acting as a body filler. As the name suggests, it fills in gaps within the bodywork of your car, such as smoothening out deep chips or scratches, ensuring that it's as smooth as possible before the first layer of paints go on top.
Primer - This is a pre-paint layer, and it goes straight on top of the bodywork or the filler. Once it's applied onto the metal or plastic bodywork, it has multiple functions. Primer can protect the body below from impacts or damage, preventing any excess corrosion from building up, as well as making sure that the succeeding layers of paint coats can stick properly.
Base Coat - Here is where your car gets its colours. The base coat represents the exact hue, shade, and effects that your car's paint colour represents, from the darkest of blues, the greys and blacks of monochrome, or the most vibrant of pastels. There can be several base coat layers sprayed on top of one another during the painting process, which is reflected during the touch-up.
Clear Coat - This is the final and top-most layer of your car's paint. The clear coat is transparent, and it has two primary goals. The first is to give your car a shiny and glossy look to top off the base coat. The other, meanwhile, is to act as a protective layer to the base coat below, thus preventing its appearance from being severely tarnished by stone chips, scratches, weathering, and so on.
Does Clear Coat Make Your Car Look Pretty?
As we've probably answered in our explainer up above, the answer is likely a 'Yes'. While it won't make a huge impact on the looks of your car's paint, the added glossy finish (not to underscore the importance of its protective properties) can make your car's paint pop more to the eyes. Mind you, it's not entirely necessary if you're only touching up a very small chipped area.
It might not even make that much, or at all of a difference to how it'll look. Some paint touch-up repair kits don't include a bottle of clear coat. However, while it can make your car look better with its glossy sheen, can it improve how the paint touch-up will match in its colours and subtle hues to the rest of your car? In short, clear coats can't magically match the paints on your car.
The Magic Of Blending
Perhaps the nuances might be more dampened once the sunlight hits the right spot to make the paint glow. However, the clear coat won't match the paint touch up paint perfectly right for you, even if you've picked the right colour for your car's make, model, and even the specific model year and production batch to get the best colour match possible?
But what can you do if the newly touched up area looks off in its colours to the rest of your car? To that, we can be thankful for the art of "blending " paint. Blending is a process where you're trying to make a seamless transition from the new paint that's just been touched up, to the old paint that was already there, in its colour and appearance as an illusion to make it seem like one whole piece.
Say, you're repainting a bumper after a repair, and thus blending the paint there to patch the panels around it, such as the bonnet, fenders, and so on. Blending is the go-to solution when it comes to matching your car's colours, and some touch-up kits do include a small prescription of blending solution to be added after the base coat has been left to dry, to finish off the look of the paint.
Conclusion
Answering that puzzling question we posed in the title, clear coats can't generally make your car's paint touch up match in appearance with the rest of the paintwork. Especially so if the paint is matched very poorly from the get-go. However, you can apply the art of blending to match the touch-up paint as closely as possible as to how it looks in your eyes.
The process starts with a bit of sanding to remove a bit of the old paint, before then reapplying the base coat with a new batch of paints that properly match. Layer by layer of base coat later, you can then top it off with a clear coat layer up top to round off the looks. Once that's done, there's a whole world of difference between how it would look before, and how it looks now that it matches, tone for tone.
]]>And that goes for the best touch-up solutions on the market! With an hour or two of your time, you can have that chip or scratch filled in without leaving your garage. Technology has truly come a long way. But despite this ease, some questions do linger that remains unanswered, and one that might make this touching up the process a whole lot less confidence-inspiring on the surface.
One such puzzle to solve is the subject around whether or not your paint touch-up solution shrinks when it dries up. Naturally, you'd want to know this, along with the complex science around paint touch-ups to make sure you do as good of a job as possible. Thankfully, we aim to answer this, step by step. First, let's look at how you'd go about touching up your car's paint..
Step 1: Before we can begin to touch up the paint, we'll need to clean the soon-to-be touched up area. This involves getting some water and a mild car washing soap. You could instead use rubbing alcohol to get rid of a protective wax layer. Either way, dry the area thoroughly with a microfibre cloth after washing it.
Step 2 The next step would be applying the touch-up paint, whether it's through the use of a paint pen or a brush applicator. This is subject to how big the chipped or scratched area is (the larger the surface area; it's best to use a brush), and what comes with your touch-up kit. Apply layer by layer, and being careful to wait for each single layer coating to dry before applying the next one.
Step 3 The length of time it would take for the paint to dry will vary depending on which touch-up kit you use, as its paint formulation may take more or less time to cure. It will also vary based on the climate you're in with its temperature and humidity. Some paint touch-up kits require as little as just 5 minutes to dry.
Step 4 If you've applied too much touch up, then you'll need to remove the excess paint. You can do this in a variety of ways according to how big the excess "blob" is, and judging by how dry the paint is. If it's too dried up, you can use an acetone paint remover, lacquer thinner, or nail polish remover. Apply it carefully to remove the excess touch up paint with a Q-tip or cotton swab. Some touch-up kits may even have a blending solution to help you get rid of excess paints.
Step 5: When the base coat is complete, know that the upper-most clear coat layer isn't always necessary. Although, some paint touch-up repair kits do include it, so you may as well apply a thin layer of clear coat on top of the smoothened base coat. After this, you can let the clear coat dry, and then perhaps consider a polish and wax to maintain the glossy finish.
Do Touch-Up Paints Shrink?
With those five steps outlined, you know now roughly the processes at work when doing a full paint touch-up. However, that's not yet answered our question. For this, let's take a look back at Step 2, in how during the application of the touch-up paint, you're implored to wait for each layer of the paint's base coat to dry before adding another coat (and more) on top?
Well, that's because like any other type of liquid or fluid, paint does indeed shrink when they dry. Touch-up paints are no different, in that their overall volume will decrease once they're dried up from while it was still wet. Nevertheless, this is never an issue during paint touch-up repairs, as it drying up won't affect the finished look of the final paint at all, nor does it cause complexities.
The only thing that's required of you is to add another layer or more on top of now-shrunken coating to make up for the lost volume, and thus ensure that the touch-up area is level with the rest of the car's surface. This is one reason why you're asked to let one
The number of layers you'll need to add will depend on how deep the chip is. If you add one coat, let it dry, and there's still a fairly deep pit once that first coat is dry, you may have to add another layer. Let that one dry, and maybe add another one (or more) coatings on top as necessary. After that, you can proceed with the following steps as if nothing ever happened.
Conclusion
In summary, we can say that yes, your car's touch up paint will shrink when it dries. But this is a normal step of the process in touching up your car anyways. Depending on which repair kit you go with, and what sort of paint mix they use, you may need some minutes, hours, or upwards of days to let the paint completely dry, and for the shrinkage to fully manifest.
This goes for every layer of paint and pre-paint, such as the filler, primer, base coat, mid coat (for a triple-layer paint finish), and the clear coat on top. All you need to do is let the paint shrink and dry, and then keep reapplying more layers of paint on top to even out the chipped or scratched area, and bring it to level out with the intact surface of your car's paintwork.
]]>Of course, who hasn't had at least one run-in with needing to touch up their car? Stone chips and scratches are a common conundrum with everyday car ownership, but it's made a lot easier knowing that most paint touch-up solutions are easy to find and apply these days. Nevertheless, you're not always so sure if it works as well as you think it might, and whether a blast of water will ruin it all.
Does Pressure Washer Have An Effect On Paint?
The first question that we can answer is - does using a pressure washer affect your car's original paintwork? To that, we say 'Maybe'. A lot of enthusiasts and loving car owners promote the use of a pressure washer to keep your car looking as fresh as it came from the factory. But on the other side, we have folks telling us that pressure washing a car could actually damage it.
In fact, both sides are right on this one, and while there are a lot of upsides to pressure washing done right, there also risks (and consequences) attached to not doing it properly. It's so much of a risk, that Consumer Reports themselves once wrote a recommendation against pressure washing your car, as it could cause more harm than good. Here's a look at both ends of the story...
Using A Pressure Washer - The Right Way
Pressure washing a car, owing to the high pressures that it can exert on the bodywork, is a great way to remove all the stubborn dirt and grime that could otherwise not be dislodged with a simple garden hose. The process involves a specialised hose to deliver a steady, high-powered stream of water, and there are more than a few variables to consider with pressure washers.
Essentially, this will factor in how safe a particular pressure washer will be to use for a car, and where does it get too far to a point where it might wash away your paint or newly-applied paint touch-up. A particular note before we get started, do bear in mind your safety before pressure washing. The PSI ratings are strong enough, in some cases, to cause serious injury.
PSI and GPM - Both of these relate to the flow of the water, with PSI (pounds per square inch) defining the pressure at which the water is released, and GPM (gallons per minute) telling you how much water in volume is released. For most cars, you're recommended to use a pressure washer with a rating between 1,200 to 1,900 PSI, and 1.4 to 1.6 GPM. Multiplied together, and you get a value of around 1,900 to 2,800 "cleaning units". Too much, and it could strip away the paint and coating.
Electric or Petrol - Most pressure washers are either petrol, or electric powered. In general, you can expect that petrol-powered pressure washers will be able to deliver more power, or in other words, more pressure. For car-related washing, you're recommended to use electric pressure washers within.
the PSI and GPM ratings from earlier. Using an overly powerful petrol pressure washer could not only strip away your car's paint and coating, but potentially even crack the windows and plastic trim.
Nozzle Angle - When using a pressure washer, there are a variety of nozzles to attach to the other end that determines the spread of the water. You can often find a nozzle angle from 0 to 65 degrees, with the lower nozzle angles being more direct and targeted. When pressure washing your car, you should pick a nozzle angle that spreads the pressure and flow of the water by 15 degrees or more. Anything less, and it might be strong enough to affect the car's paint finish.
Distance - Not only must you consider the pressure and flow rate of the pressure washer, but also the distance from where the nozzle is in relation to the surface of the car. If you're standing too close, even a weak pressure washer with relatively safe PSI ratings can be too strong for the paint to handle. So, make sure that you're standing at least four to five feet away from the car when using the pressure washer.
Pressure Washing - The Wrong Way
But not all is good in the world of pressure washing your car. It's not recommended for those that have little experience to use a pressure washer, as it can cause a lot of trouble and inconveniences. Here are some examples of what happens when it all goes wrong...
In the end, we'd like to reiterate the common adage of washing your car the old-school< way; a couple of buckets of soapy water (proper car washing shampoo, not dish soap, mind), and a soft wash mitt. For paint touch-ups, it's highly suggested that you give your car, especially around the newly repaired and touch-up area, a good waxing to add an additional protective layer once the paint's all dry.
Then, consider washing it, as we recommended earlier, a couple of days after the waxing process to properly give the touch-up a bit more time to dry up. While pressure washing does have its fair share of upsides, such as using the stream to clean away the stubborn and hard-to-reach spots like your car's undercarriage, you should leave that to the professionals.
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Then a tiny crack or chip appears, caused by a small loose stone. A windshield is a huge slab of glass, and if you've ever needed to undergo the process of replacing your phone's shattered screen, then you know that molten sand is quite expensive. But don't despair just yet, as repairing a windshield, rather than replacing it outright, isn't just possible, but is quite simple and cheap to do.
Repair v. Replacement
The first thing that you should do after seeing a crack or chip appear on your windshield, is to stop and assess the . We need to stress that you should never ignore a chipped or cracked windshield. This large slab of glass is now structurally compromised, which would make it more susceptible to shattering under pressure or if there's even a minor collision, or a second impact.
Moreover, your now-cracked or chipped windshield, no matter how small the damage may be, is a distraction that could impair your visibility. Water, mud, dirt, and other contaminants can seep into the gaps of the chip or crack, muddying and fogging up your entire view. As we've established, we now need to see if you're going to need a repair, or a complete windshield replacement.
Chips or cracks on your windshield can be seen as a flower- or star-like pattern, or it might even look like a bullet-hole. These can easily be repaired with a chip repair kit, which can be found for around or sometimes less than £10. It works simply by filling in the chip, and no, a DIY-style repair using super glue or adhesives to fill in the gaps isn't recommended.
If the damage on your windshield is a long crack or a deep chip, it might have to be replaced. In the UK, the average replacement cost is around £200, but could start rising to £400 and upwards in no time. A few factors do play a role in how much your windshield replacement is going to cost, such as the make and model of your car, which may be offset if you have warranty or insurance coverage.
What Are Windshield Chip Repair Kits?
Windshield chip repair kits should always be your first go-to solution for when the dreaded chips or cracks appear. For the most part, these repair kits contain a bottle of clear and highly viscous resin. It can fill in the gaps around the chip or crack and then bonding with the windshield to create a secure fit. It's relatively cheap, not to mention easy to apply, and saves you a lot of time.
They are that easy to use, and most folks can do this at home. Here's a quick step-by-step guide on how to use these chip repair kits to fix your chipped or cracked windshield...
Step 1: The first step would be to clean the chip or crack itself and the surrounding area, preferably using rubbing alcohol over water or any other cleaning solution. A clean surface will ensure the epoxy resin bond as firmly with the windshield as possible. If there's debris or small shards of glass within the chip or crack, gently remove them using a toothpick or a thumbtack.
Step 2: After it's been washed with that rubbing alcohol, you can dry out the working area with a microfibre cloth. You now start to place the repair kit onto the windshield. Although they come in varying forms, they usually are designed with a large cylindrical tube or a syringe-like device to apply the resin.
Step 3: When attaching the repair kit, you'll need to use the pre-included suction cups to keep it firmly in place. Place the syringe, making sure that the tip is in line with the chip or crack that you're trying to fill in. The tip of the syringe will now seal against the chip, creating an air-tight vacuum for the resin to flow through. You don't want any air bubbles for the repair.
Step 4: When an air-tight and vacuumed seal has been created around the chip or crack with the syringe, you can start filling it in with the epoxy resin. With some repair kits, you may first have to mix the resin, though most come pre-mixed. Once you've already filled in the recommended quantity of resin, screw in the plunger up top.
TIP: Before we start with applying the resin, you need to make sure that you're doing this repair away from direct sunlight. UV light will cure the resin, which will be required later on. But as you're now just trying to fill it in and make sure it's settled properly, you don't want it to cure, bond, and harden prematurely.
Step 5: At this stage, you can start to fill in the chip or crack, with one hand on the plunger, and the other holding the syringe in place. Pull the plunger slowly to the top, which will also have the effect of removing some potential air bubbles, and push it down to start applying the resin. Keep pushing it all the way down as it fills in the chip, and every gap left behind.
Step 6: The resin is completely clear and transparent, but it's an illusion that will be ruined should there be any air bubbles. Take a peek from both inside and outside the car, and see if there are any air bubbles left. Usually, most repair kits require that you wait 5-10 minutes for all the air bubbles to leave before we can move on. You could carefully knock on the windshield to help it along.
Step 7: So far, we've used the syringe to fill in the cracks along the chip. However, the large pit of the crater still remains. Now, remove the syringe entirely, and grab the bottle of epoxy resin to properly fill in the large chunk of glass that's missing. Apply one or two drops (or more for a larger "pit"), and then apply the curing strip on top.
Step 8: Put the curing strip (which should look like a clear tape) carefully to remove all the air bubbles, and use a razor to gently nudge those pesky bubbles away. That razor blade should also work to smoothen out the epoxy resin. Drive your car out into the sun, and let it sit there for some minutes as recommended by your repair kit to let the resin cure.
Step 9: Once you've given it enough time to cure, and there are no more air bubbles that remain, take out the razor blade again. Carefully peel away the curing strip, and that's a job well done!
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Well, folks, that is a harsh reality where even the best of good deeds can have nasty side effects if not done right. One wrong swipe and you suddenly notice an unsightly scratch on the lovely paint that you've been labouring to keep shiny. Be it an automatic self-serve car wash, or the old-school way of bodies and buckets, here are some things to watch out for at your next car wash excursion.
1. Mind The Dirt
There is a definite no-no in the car washing community, and that's when you decide to wipe off dirt on your car while it's bone dry. See, water is what catches dirt and debris, before it can be safely escorted off your car's paintwork. If you're simply wiping the dirt down without any water, you're basically scrubbing the dirt like bare sandpaper onto your car's paint, scratching it along the way.
2. Cloths & Sponges
While you're at the car wash - or are washing it yourself - inspect the tools at hand. The first of which should be the wash mitt. A lot of older car washes might still be using highly abrasive brushes instead of a more gentle washing cloth or mitt to wipe down your car. It makes sense in older cars, as they don't have a protective upper layer of clear coat paint.
So, light scratches can be buffed out with ease. On newer cars, however, that shiny transparent clear coat layer can be compromised with these old-fashioned abrasive brushes, leading to further damage to the underlying base coat of the paint. The only way to fix this is a costly repaint or a touch-up. Be wary, then, of car washes that still use brushes instead of a proper washing cloth or sponge.
A better option would be to not use any of those items at all. Some car washes don't make physical contact with the car while washing, and simply uses high-pressure hoses and water jets to clean the car. This is far safer, without any risk of physical scratches and other cosmetic damage happening to your car.
3. Twin Buckets
Another critical faux pas when cleaning your car is using just one bucket. It's recommended to have two buckets; one for all the dirty rinse water, and the other for the clean soapy water. The logic behind it is quite simple. If you're using just one bucket, all that dirt and grime that you've washed away from your car will get stuck to your washing cloth or mitts again.
At this point, you'll pick up the old dirt from before, and are shovelling it back onto your car. If this isn't bad enough, you're actively scrubbing this dirt back onto your car with the aforementioned sponge or cloth. There should be two buckets when cleaning your car, one where you can rinse off the debris from the cleaning apparatus of choice, and then dunking it cleanly into the soapy bucket.
4. Use Proper Soap
There is a myth that needs debunking, and that's the claim that any soap is okay for your car. This is incorrect, as dishwasher detergent (or dish soap) acts as a degreaser. While good for plates, this can strip away the wax or sealant protection from your car's clear coat. Doing so removes a protective layer, while also creating extra friction that will no doubt increase the chances of scratching.
5. Avoid Brushed Car Washes
If you know automated car washes, then you'll know that there are umpteen different machines and steps at work as your car is slowly pulled along. Those seemingly innocent, soft, cosy brushes are what you should be afraid of the most. A common theme here when it comes to scratching your car while getting a wash is dirt being accidentally picked up and rubbed all over the paint.
Those big brushes at the car wash have exactly this sort of problem. Who knows how many cars have been through there before you... What if the previous visitor was absolutely filthy? In that case, all their dirt and muck, a lot of which is probably still stuck on those brushes, will now get scrubbed onto your car's lovely paintwork, all for the sake of getting it cleaned.
6. Dirty Rags
Once you've already gone through the process of washing your car, it's now time to have it dried out. With some car washes - especially those automated ones - they can use a jet of hot air, sort of like a hairdryer, to force any and all excess water off your car. Mostly, though, you'll likely find that your car will be driven off to a dedicated area, where it's then hand dried with towels
This is where it gets troubling. You should only ever use a clean, soft towel to wipe down and dry off a car. Or, even better, use a microfibre cloth to catch any remaining dirt. That said, when the car wash is a bit busy, or just lazy, they might use old and dirty rags to dry your car. In this case, they're pretty much rubbing sandpaper on your car, with a towel that's filled with coarse dirt particles.
7. Wash Everything Else
While our subject here has been about scratches, it's worth looking elsewhere aside from just your bodywork, as prominent as it may be, when you're scheduling your next car wash stop. Many car washes offer extra services, and while a lot of them aren't worth the money, there's two in particular that are worth it - washing your undercarriage, and the wheels.
The undercarriage has even more dirt, mud, grit, salt, and countless more nasty stuff down there. If you're washing your car at home, it may be hard to reach the undercarriage, so it's definitely worth having it cleaned thoroughly while you're at the car wash. Not only could this keep your car's underbelly clean, but it may also help to prevent
As for the tyres, they too will get very dirty. As you're driving along, a lot of nature can accumulate and get stuck on your wheels. Commercial car washes have tools that you might not at home, such as high-powered washer jets that could thoroughly dislodge a lot of the extra dirt, grime, and especially brake dust (this could stain your wheels over time) that you otherwise couldn't remove.
]]>Touching up your car's paint, even with the many clever and easy to use solutions that we have these days at our disposal, is always a nerve-racking ordeal. Everything rushes through your head at once; are you using the right paint for the job, or whether you're even putting it on properly. Am I painting too much over the lines, or do I need to wax the car down after this
This is made more anxious after you suddenly remembered someone mentioning sanding your car. Well, it turns out that a bit of gritty sanding helps a lot to smoothen out the damaged or chipped paintwork. Overall, this makes it both easier to touch up, and may improve the final look of the now-repaired bodywork. But what grit of sandpaper should you be using for paint touch-ups
Before we dive deeper, however, what exactly is grit? In sandpaper, 'grit' defines how much abrasive material in individual pieces you have per square inch of paper. For example, 1,000 pieces of grit on one square inch of sandpaper would equate to 1,000-grit sandpaper. Something else we'll learn through this is that the higher the grit number is, the finer (less coarse) the sandpaper will be
In automotive applications, the grit rating can vary anywhere from a scratchy 40 grit, to a very fine 3,000 grit. It's crucial to understand the differences, as either end of the grit spectrum has its use for car repairs. Here's a breakdown of the most common grit ratings on sandpaper that you may come across
40 grit - These are as coarse as sandpaper can be, for the most part. For 40 grit, it's a very rough surface that will leave sanding marks, often used to prep the bodywork before any paint or material even goes on it. It's very handy to have when say, you're trying to remove deep rust before any body filler is coated.
80 grit - If 40 grit is rough enough to smoothen out your car's bare bodywork, 80 grit is a step below that in coarseness. This is a great starting point for after the filler's dried out, and you're looking to smoothen out the body filler before adding the primer, and then the base coat of the coloured paint on top
120-180 grit - Once again, these two are great for finer sanding of the filler layer. Some specialists finish off the filler with 120 grit after the 80 grit sandpaper has done most of the smoothening work of the overall surface. 180 grit can be used to carefully feather the edges of the filler and remove any spot putty, but also doubles as a good way to remove small scratches with minimal markings
320-400 grit - Both are excellent for the finishing steps of sanding and levelling the filler surface before the primer is painted on. Remember that even the tiniest of imperfections left on the filler can magnify greatly once the primer, and then the base-coat is added on top. Thus, these incremental grit sanding increases are needed
600-800 grit - Although some might be brave enough to use 400 grit sandpaper on the upper primer layer, it's best to use 600 grit for that job. Most would recommend starting with sanding the primer with 600 grit, before slowly moving up to the finer 800 grit paper
1,000-1,200 grit - Either one are good options for removing imperfections from the coloured base coat. The best way to do this is using a method called "wet sanding", where you would soak the sandpaper and the base-coat surface with a lot of water. The wet sanding process often enables the sandpaper to cut faster, and prevents particles of the paint from clogging up the abrasive paper. Although, and depending on how dry the paint is, a regular "dry sanding" would be good enough
1,500-3,000 grit - However, do know that even the finer 1,200 sandpaper will still leave marks, which you'll have to remove before adding the final clear-coat layer for the best results. For this, you can use 1,500 or up to 2,000 grit sandpaper. On top of that, 1,500 and 2,000 grit could also be used after the clear-coat has been applied, to get improved final eye candy. You can scale this all the way up to 3,000 grit, if you prefer. In both cases, wet sanding is the preferred way to go about it
At this point, we're now well acquainted with which grit of sandpaper you'd need to use. In all, the varying grit sizing will be best suited based on what layer of the paint you're on, and what or how much is the material that you want to remove
Primer - Anything below or around 500 grit sandpaper will do wonders at quickly removing the upper paint surfaces, and down to the primer layer. This is great if you might want to start from scratch during the touch-up, or if some significant imperfections need to be ironed out. You can then move up to finer grit levels as you slowly start to finish off a smoothened look for the primer
Base-Coat - The argument of 'dry vs. wet' sanding will depend on your touch-up paint of choice. If it's waterborne, then wet sanding may start removing the paint itself. Once you've considered your approach, you can start using 1,000 grit sandpaper to sand out imperfections in the paint. You can then move upwards to 1,500 grit, as the base-coat surface starts looking finer and shinier
Clear-Coat - The final clear-coat layer is what tops off your car's paint, so you'll need to be careful about the grittiness of the sandpaper of your choice. 1,500 grit is a good starting point, though you'll need to be cautious about sanding it off too much. It's better if you have 2,000 grit, at least, as you can then move up and up to 2,500 grit, and the final 3,000 grit for an ultra-fine finishing touch.
]]>Did you know, that there could be five or more dozen different lights on your dashboard that could start blinking or turning on at any one time? They vary anywhere from simple things like letting you know that your lights are on, to "oh my god, stop the car now or you're going to break it". In many modern cars, some of these otherwise cryptic icons have been replaced by text on a digital screen. Either way, it's always a good idea then to have an instinctive knowledge of what all your dashboard lights really mean, and what your car is trying to inform you of. Does it need something urgent, or is it trying to tell you that something's amiss? However, with nearly 500 unique symbols and indicators across the countless makes and models of cars out there, where do we even begin?
First and foremost, if you see a dashboard light pop-up in your view, don't panic. The next thing to do is assess the colour of the lights, and don't mind the actual iconography just yet if you don't know what it means. The colours by themselves alert you to the potential severity of the problem at hand, and is standardised in most cars...
Red - If the light is red, and especially if it's blinking repeatedly, this usually indicates that something is very gravely wrong with your car. If you're driving, it would be best to pull over safely. It can mean that there is a component failure, or if there's a major safety hazard to you. For example, it might try to tell you that you're running low on fuel, if the doors are open, or if it's overheating.
Orange or Yellow - This is less of an emergency than red, but orange or yellow coloured lights often indicate that something requires servicing. It might not be an immediate issue, but should be inspected as soon as possible, nonetheless. Some examples include when the car's traction control is engaged, the battery might be running low, or if you've missed your car's maintenance schedule.
Green or Blue - When you see a green or blue light on your dashboard, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Generally, lights in this shade are made to inform you that a certain function is working properly, or if a component is turned on. For example, when you have the lights and high beams on, or if the indicators are flashing.
Now that we got that out of the way, it's time to break down what some of the most common lights that'll glow from the dashboard mean...
Check Engine Light - Either shaped more or less like an engine or if there's a bar of text, it can be lit up in red or orange depending on the car. You should be aware that a part of the engine might not be working properly, such as a problem in the emissions control. It might be more serious in some cases, alerting you that there is a possible engine failure.
Oil Pressure Warning - Your engine needs a lot of oil to stay lubricated. Without it, complete engine failure can be expected. When this light comes on - shaped like a canister or magic lamp - it tells you that the oil pressure is low. Usually, this can be attributed to low oil levels, telling of an oil leak.
Coolant Temperature Warning - Or, it's known as the 'engine temperature' warning, appearing with a thermometer symbol. In any case, this means that your engine is running hotter than its expected limits. You should pull over, and let the engine cool down sufficiently before checking the coolant level.
Brake Light - Usually shown as a large red exclamation mark, the brake light can turn on for any number of reasons. For the most part, it tells you that your parking (hand) brake is active. Other than that, it might be indicative of a fault within the overall braking system, such as low brake fluids, or if the car's ABS (anti-lock braking system) is defective. Some cars have a separate light for ABS.
Tyre Pressure Warning - Another exclamation mark, but usually in yellow, and placed inside of what seems like a flat tyre. It speaks for itself, as it lets you know that your tyre pressure is underinflated by at least or around 25%. If you see this one lit, then pull over and check each tyre to make sure they're not running low on air. If so, pump it up before moving on.
Battery Light - This indicator will show up as a battery, with a plus and minus symbol on either end. When this lights up, you should be aware that your car's charging system isn't working right. It may be that your car's battery is running low on its charge and needs a new one. Or, it could be more serious, such as a problem with the wiring, charging cycle, the alternator, and so on.
Low Fuel - Okay, this is quite self-explanatory. If you see what looks like a fuel pump, then you're low on fuel. It usually comes on when there's a bare minimum amount of fuel left in your car, just more than enough to get you to the nearest fuel station.
Traction Control Warning - This is something you won't see on all cars. The icon looks like the back of a car, with squiggly lines along the tyre tracks. This here should tell you that your car's traction control system is kicking in, always a sign that you're losing grip. You'll see this a lot if you're driving on snow or ice. If the light is permanently on, then your traction control might be turned off.
Door/Bonnet/Boot Light - If you can see what appears like a diagram of your car, but with its doors, boot, or bonnet left open, then something on your car is left open or hasn't been closed properly. There's nothing wrong with the car, but it's obviously dangerous to keep driving with your door not being properly shut, or if the bonnet lid suddenly pops up and blocks your entire view.
Airbag Indicator - If you see the side-view of a person and what looks like a large bubble in front of them, this is the airbag warning light. Usually, this will come on if the car senses something wrong with the airbag system, as it might not deploy in the event of an accident.
Seatbelt Indicato - Another quite obvious symbol, as you'll see a person light up with their seat belt strapped on. This is a reminder that you're not wearing your seatbelt, or that it might not be buckled correctly.
]]>Ah, the open road. There's nothing like an adventure... Just you, your car, and wherever the roads take you to, experiencing the freedom of exploring the world larger than our own. Nevertheless, the roads are never short of dangers, obstacles, and most importantly, tiny little things that your car hits constantly while driving along. This here is where we have a phenomenon called, 'road rash'.
And to be clear, this is a type of road rash affecting your car. There's also another type of road rash that affects people personally. This other road rash is an injury sustained against the skin when it's rubbing harshly abrasive materials. Falling off your bike, for example, and then being dragged on the road is one cause of road rash. But we're here for that other, automotive road rash.
No car is immune from road rash. The more we drive it, the more susceptible it is to suffer from this disease. But what exactly is road rash, and what's causing it? Road rash can be explained by the numerous scratches, chips, and markings on the surface of your car's paintwork. Mostly, they appear in areas along the tyres, bumpers, side mirrors, bonnet, and most of the front fascia.
The cause of road rash is quite simple - stones, gravel, salt, and other debris that you might find on the road, including bits of litter. As you keep driving, these might be thrown up by the car in front of you. The individual hits by themselves aren't serious. But multiply that by the thousands of tiny stones that may have been striking your car over years of driving, then it gets really ugly.
It won't affect anything serious on your car, of course. However, it can have a huge effect on how your car will look. The paint, especially in those aforementioned sections, will appear as though it's been through hell and back, significantly more scratched, and have become dull or worn. It may also have an impact on the resale value of your car, because who'd buy it in its post-road rash condition?
Unless you've paid to have an expensive protective film or wrap over your car's paintwork, then road rash is a natural part of a car ownership experience. You can't prevent it from happening, but there are ways that you can do to stop it from getting worse. You could consider choosing a different road to drive on, preferably one that doesn't have a lot of loose stones or gravel.
Changing your driving style might lessen the impact and frequency of micro road rashes. One of the main reasons why you're getting a lot of road rash is perhaps due to you tailgating the car in front a bit too closely, or if you're driving too quickly. This makes it so that debris will kick up from the road much more frequently from the car in front, and will strike your car harder at speed, respectively.
If you regularly detail and wash your car, you can try to polish and wax the parts of your car that often fall victim to road rash. Polishing may smooth out some of the smaller chips and scratches, as the wax forms a protective layer over the paintwork. The other option is simply to not drive your car as much, which may be impractical. Thankfully, at least, road rash damage can be fixed.
There are more than a few ways to fix road rash on your car. The first thing that might come to mind would be a full repainting job, which is a very expensive task to undertake. Depending on the type of paint, and with the quality that you desire, it can cost thousands just for the frontal section of your car. That's not to mention the weeks you'll have to wait as your car is being painted.
The good news is that there are cheaper alternatives. This comes in the form of paint touch-up kits, which can be found for less than $100 in most cases. Not only could the brands that produce these solutions be able to colour match the exact paint of your car, but also make it so that its repair kits are very easy to do. Even for a novice, you can have your car un-road rashed in no time at all.
Step 1: Order your paint touch-up kits from countless different brands online. They can have your car's paint matched simply by make and model, or sometimes using your registration plate.
Step 2: When you have the touch-up repair ready, get your car cleaned up. Use some water, mixed in with mild soap. Having washed your car, you should then dry it out thoroughly with a microfibre towel.
Step 3: Now it's time to apply the touch-up paint. They can be painted on in various ways depending on the kit that you've picked. Generally, paint touch-ups will come as a paint pen (which is best for smaller repairs like individual chips or scratches), or a brush that you can dip into a paint bottle. This latter method may be better for larger road rash damage that covers a large surface area.
Step 4: Next, smear the paint carefully, and let it dry. Based on the quantity of paint that you used, and what type of paint it is, it may take a few minutes for it to dry - 5 to 15 minutes for most repair kits.
Step 5: After this, we can start to add the blending solution on top of the touched-up paint to finalise its finish. You can use a cloth or paper towel to rub the blending solution over the paint, gently so using only very light pressure across the surface. Do this until all the excess paint is gone.
Step 6: Let the blending solution dry, and start with polishing your car. This will smoothen out the surfaces, while also removing any final imperfections and impurities that may remain. Add a bit of polishing compound onto a microfibre cloth, and gently rub it over the touched-up area. When the polish has dried up, use another microfibre cloth to wipe it off.
]]>Painting a car is surprisingly a very complicated and intricate form of art. One does not simply throw a bucket of paint, and get a pat on the back for a job well done. There's chemistry to it that takes years to master, and a lot more jargon to understand. One of those terms and concepts in automotive paint that you may hear getting thrown around is something called, 'blending'.
As we've all experienced at some point or another, your car isn't an impregnable fortress. There are times when small stone chips and debris gets thrown at your car at speed. Or, maybe someone's been a bit too careless with their keys scraping the paint. In any case, you may need a touch-up or repainting at some point, which is where the art of blending comes in.
Blending is a process, where you're transitioning the new paint that is being touched up or repaired, onto the old paint around it that was already there. Let's say you're having your bumper repainted whole after a repair job. Blending is a process where the body shop will try their best to match the colour and appearance of the newly-painted bumper, with the rest of the car that was untouched.
It's basically a trick of the eye, an illusion to make it seem as though the bumper was always the exact same colour and finish, matched as perfectly as it can be to the surrounding body panels, like the bonnet, fenders, and so on. This is a common practice, as rather than spending a lot of money painting the whole car, why not just one affected panel or area that needed fixing?
But why do we even need blending? Couldn't you just find the colour codes, get a batch of paint from the manufacturer, and then have that sprayed onto the affected panel? Why need a separate job just for blending them together? Well, it turns out that paints are far more complex than we first thought, and we can't quite easily create a 1:1 match of the old paint finish.
Paint is very, very difficult to get right. Let's say the workshop has taken orders for the same shade of colour as was painted onto your car originally from the factory, and from the same batch, and it's being painted under ideal and controlled temperature and humidity. Even with the best car paint specialists in the world, the new paint still might not align exactly.
They might even go out of their way to use a fancy spectrophotometer, where practically thousands of different colour variations can be stored and matched. This should narrow the colour sciences down a bit more, perfecting the new batch of colour as closely as possible with the rest of your car. But even still, they might not be close enough.
The slightest colour change can be noticeable. The newly painted area may look darker or lighter than the panels around it. These can be attributed to any number of reasons, though we can mostly point the finger at your car's original paint - in other words, the rest of the unpainted panels that were untouched - may have aged, and become slightly duller or worn over the years.
Alternatively, the paint that they got might not be the right one. Your car manufacturer relies on its paints from more than just one paint company. Each supplier, although they've agreed to a similar set of tones for the paint's appearance, there will be variables. For instance, a different batch will use a unique set of base toners, which will then shift the colour ever so slightly.
So, you have this contrasting effect that is most unsightly to see? Well, here are a few simple steps at how you can do a blending process on your own car to restore its original looks...
Step 1: Use masking tape to separate the areas of your car that you won't want to blend, and maybe consider some newspaper to cover up the surrounding panels. This is important, as you wouldn't want to blend over the perfectly good parts of your paintwork.
Step 2: Now, we can start to remove a bit of the paint using sandpaper. You don't need a very coarse grade here, as 2,000 grit sandpaper is enough. Start sanding the area that you want to blend, and a bit more around it, careful to not exceed the masked off zones.
Step 3: At this stage, you can start to wash off your car with some water and mild soap. Don't use any wax, and be sure to dry off your car thoroughly afterwards with a microfibre towel.
Step 4: Next up, you can start to apply your base coat colour over the section that you'd want to blend. It's best to use a spray gun, filled with a new batch of matched paint. As you apply the paint, move the spray gun back and forth in a set pattern. You will have to spray over two or three coats at the very least, and remember to wait for each coat to dry before going to the next one. When the base coat layers are done, leave it untouched to dry and settle overnight.
Step 5: Once you've inspected the base coat to see that it matches the rest of the unblended paint on your car, you can move onto the clear coat. Use that spray gun to apply the clear coat, using at least two layers of thin coats until it gets that shiny and glossy finish as with the rest of the car. When that's done, leave your car alone for two days to let the clear coat dry.
Step 6: The next step will be buffing up your car's paint to top it off. After all, the blended paint may still carry tiny imperfections, flecks, impurities, blobs, and so forth. Immerse a 1,500 grit sandpaper in water, and proceed to wet sand the blended paint. Carefully move in uniform strokes, and re-wet the sandpaper if needed. After this, you can move to a finer 2,000 grit to level and smoothen the surface further.
Step 7: Lastly, wash your car after having it sanded to remove all the paint chips. Then, examine your car under sunlight, and see if there's still contrast between the newly blended and unblended surfaces. If so, you can try and wet sand the blended area again.
]]>In its earliest history, cars were all mostly black. Even the famous Henry Ford himself once said that "any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it's black". Either for the sake of efficiency, cost-cutting, or just convenience, it was the predominant shade of choice. But over the years and decades later, colours started popping up.
It started with subtle blues, purples, reds, and greens. Later on, it evolved into very vibrant yellows and oranges, and other pastel shades to make cars stand out. As paint technology continually grew in its chemistry to create ever-complex and mesmerising finishes, we now have something called 'tri-stage' paint. So, what exactly is this seemingly magical compound?
Tri-stage paint can also be called 'tricolour', or 'tri-coat'. It's arguably one of the most beautiful types of paint that you can have coated onto any vehicle. As the word 'tri' in the name suggests, there are essentially three coats of paint layered on top of one another. In most cars, there are only two layers, starting with the coloured 'base coat' at the bottom, and then topped with a 'clear coat'.
With a tri-stage paint, however, there is an additional, thinly-applied 'mid coat' layer in between the base coat beneath it, and a clear coat up top. So, what is the point of needing this mid coat, anyway? Well, it has the effect of adding a sparkling finish to your car's overall paintwork. This extra layer gives the surface a sense of depth or richness that two layers alone wouldn't be able to accomplish.
The effect is especially beautiful under sunlight when that extra layer can shine and glow, or at times be able to change colour or appearance depending on the angle that you look at it. There is a warmth to tri-stage paints, albeit at a very high cost compared to regular two-stage paint. This is made all the more painful if you ever get a stone chip, as touching up tri-coats is a complex task.
Right, so let's wind the tape a bit further back, and explain more on what makes up a car's paint in the first place. What are these base and clear coats, and why you need multiple layers to complete the paint job? Well, each layer has its own set of responsibilities other than giving your car its colour, be it making it sparkle and glow, or act as a protective barrier from the weather and debris.
Primer - This is technically the first coat of any paint, as it goes beneath the base coat. Primer is a pre-paint compound that you apply on top of your car's metal or plastic bodywork. It has multiple important roles to play, such as protecting the body below, and ensuring that the upper base coat can thoroughly stick onto your car. It has some anti-corrosion properties, as well.
Base Coat - The base coat is where your car gets its colour from, and is the main reason why your car looks the way it is. There can be multiple layers of the base coat applied on top of itself until your car can get the hue or shade that you're after.
Mid Coat - While the base coat may be the primary contributor of colour to your car, tri-stage paint can enhance it even further with special effects. This is all thanks to the mid coat. Although it's usually a very thin layer, it can have a huge impact on your car's overall appearance. It can make the base coat colour darker, add some depth, make it sparkle and shine, or any combination of all three.
Clear Coat - This is the final, topmost layer of your car's paintwork. The name itself is a clue, as the clear coat is transparent. Its primary function, apart from giving a shiny look to top off the base and mid coats below, is to add a protective layer for your paint. Scratches, stone chips, and other similar types of damages will be first absorbed by the clear coat, ensuring it doesn't go any deeper.
That should make things a lot clearer now, right? Perhaps a bit of FAQ might get our heads wrapped around tri-stage paints a bit better...
Mid coat paints do come in varying formulations, each of them with its own cosmetic traits, effects, and added visual flair. There are pearlescent, candy, or metallic finishes which are the most common ones. Consequently, each formula of mid coat will behave differently once applied, be it subtly changing the shading of your car based on the lighting, or making it glitter.
Of course! It's not that much different from touching up a regular two-stage paint, although it does require that you find and match the mid coat to your exact car. Once you have that, you'll need to go through an extra step of layering the mid coat between the base and clear coats during the touch-up process.
Technically, you can. However, touching up the mid coat layer with the base coat, or a completely different shade of colour entirely, will affect the final look of the car. It would appear as though the now-repaired part of your car is patchy in appearance, which will be very noticeable. Thus, think twice before layering a pearl white paint with just regular white, and think it's the same thing.
No. Just because you have an extra layer of paint, doesn't mean that your car's paintwork as a whole is more robust now. That's where the clear coat comes in, and when that's compromised by a significant enough stone chip, scratch, or any other form of damage, the bottom layers of paint - including the mid coat - will be ruined.
Yes, and this follows through even to minor touch-ups. Having an extra layer of paint to care for can be expensive, not to mention layering it over the whole car. With some cars, companies can offer tri-coat paints as an option, but they're not cheap. Usually, they can cost you extra in the thousands of dollars, sometimes tens of thousands for more exotic paints.
You might be thinking that since you already have practically two layers of paint (the base and mid coats), you may wonder if you even need the clear coat up top at all. Well, you absolutely do need the clear coat, which doesn't just make your car shinier, but also protects the paints underneath. Without it, your expensive mid coat finish will look worn and dull very quickly.
]]>As they say, there's no such thing as absolute perfection in this world. Touching up your car's paint is no different. No matter how good of a job you think you did, and regardless of how easy the repair kit was to use, the end result may or may not be noticeably different than what your car should've looked like brand new. But those pesky stone chips and scratches have to be filled in someday, right
The most common 'oopsie' that we'll all face while touching up our car's poor paint is the dreaded blob. That feeling when you've applied just a bit too much touch-up, that it now looks like your car's got pimples. This newly erected mound of paint sits annoyingly far up over where the rest of the car's surface should've been. So, how do we go about peeling off this unsightly paint blob
Now, there are more than a few ways to remove excess paint. Go online, and you'll quickly find loads of suggestions to use paint thinner, or sand the entire blob out. But there are flaws in this. Using paint thinner may not have as much of an effect, while sanding is a bit extreme. The latter requires skill and precision to do it right. Even then, you'll likely sand off more than you'd like
It may badly affect the clear- and base-coat entirely. There are, thankfully, more effective and easy-going alternatives to this. Some key factors that may make your life easier will be how big is the aforementioned blob, and how long has it been since you've noticed it. Is the paint still more or less not fully dried out?
Well, let's take a peek at some of the better ways that you can remove a paint blob..
The first, and most instinctive method to remove a paint blob is brute force. Not literally, of course, but you won't even need any specialised tools. A good start would be to use your fingernail, and see if you chip off the excess paint. This is the easiest choice you have, which costs precisely $0. It's better to use your nails if the paint is relatively fresh
Or, you could instead grab a toothpick. This also works well if the paint is still freshly applied, as it makes the blob more susceptible to being removed by the tip of the toothpick. It may help to have some prep solvent to loosen the paint surface. Now, carefully pick at the blobs, and lift the blobs from underneath them. Again, you can use that prep solvent to loosen it further
When you've done using either your nails or a toothpick, you can start to re-touch up your paint, just to even out the look under the blob. This time, though, it may be better to use the smaller tip of the toothpick to add the touch-up paint, instead of the paint pen or brush that came included in your repair kit.
Both of these are very different chemicals, but their respective strategies are nonetheless the same. If you can't find pure acetone paint remover, then nail polish remover (which also contains acetone) may be a good substitute. There's a very important note that we have to remind you all here, in that either thinner compound can damage the rest of your car's paintwork
So, you'll have to be careful when applying them, and limit their contact to only the blob. To do this safely, we recommend having some cotton swabs or Q-tips handy to apply the acetone, nail polish remover, or lacquer thinner.
Step 1: The first step would be clean the surface that you'll be working on, which includes the blob. Use a mixture of mild soap and water, and wash off any dirt or debris that might be stuck to the paint. Then, rinse and dry the area with a microfibre cloth or towel
Step 2: Get your cotton swab or Q-tip out, and gently cover just the tip of them with the acetone or lacquer thinner. Now, rub it over the paint blob, until the blob slowly dissolves and comes off the paint.
Step 3: When the blob is removed, you may want to do a bit more touching-up to iron out the surface. If so, then use a toothpick to very carefully add touch-up paints, and then letting it dry thoroughly before adding another layer
So, we mentioned earlier that sanding the blob away isn't always the most efficient course of action. It will require a lot more touch up afterwards, and it gets really messy. Nevertheless, you may have to get the sandpaper out anyways in the event that the blob is far too stubborn for any of the earlier options to work. In that case, sandpaper is your best friend, if you do it right
Step 1: As with using thinners, you should always clean the area around the blob before attempting any fixes. Use a mix of mild soap and water to rinse off all contaminants, and then dry it off completely with a microfibre cloth
Step 2: This next step is important, as it will help to prevent any accidents while sanding the blob. You should very seriously consider taping the affected area off, just in case you sand out a large enough surface to affect the rest of the car. Remember, you only want to sand off the blob itself
Step 3: Now, you can start using some coarser grad of sandpaper, somewhere around 400 grit would work. This will be aggressive enough to start chipping away chunks of the blob. Slowly sand away the peaks of the blob. It might be helpful to combine both dry sanding first, and then wet sanding after. The latter is a process where you add water to the surface of the sandpaper, making it cut smoothly and prevents the abrasive pads from clogging up
Step 4: When the surface has now dried up after the rough sanding, we can smoothen it out post-blob with a finer grade of sandpaper. We recommend 1,200 grit for this, along with a combination of both dry and wet sanding from earlier. Keep sanding until the once blobby surface becomes flush with the rest of the paintwork.
Step 5 (Optional): Often, if you sand your car carefully, you won't need to touch it up afterwards. At most, maybe you'd want to apply a clear-coat finisher. However, if you've accidentally sanded off far too much paint, you can easily compensate with a re-touch-up to fill in the gaps. Once again, make sure that each layer has dried thoroughly before moving onto the next one.
]]>But the tricky parts come into play in the deep pits around your seats. That seemingly endless void between your captain's chairs and centre console are just the start of it, too. Tonnes of hairs, dead skin, muck, dirt, dust, coins, crumbs, leaves, and a lot of other disgusting trinkets fall all the way down and get trapped underneath your car seats.
After a while, we tend to ignore this usually hard-to-reach spot, and hope it all somehow magically disappears. Although, when spring cleaning is just around the corner, you may as well try and have it cleaned. Besides, if not for the sake of keeping your car well-groomed and smelling fresh, at least consider that your carpets and fabric liners can get worn over time.
Nonetheless, many people ignore cleaning under their car seats simply because it's too difficult. So, what are the best ways to clean that foul underbelly of your chairs? Well, the most thorough way to have it vacuumed and carpet washed is by completely removing your entire front seats. It's quite an ordeal and a half, but if you have some spare time and a few spanners, it's worth a try.
Step 1: Move the front seats all the way forward.
Step 2: Find the bolts at the back of the front seats, which are found along a rail mounted to the floor of the car. Usually, there are two bolts, one for the left- and right-hand side rail, respectively. In some newer cars, these bolts might be shielded under a plastic cover.
Step 3: These bolts are generally either hex, Torx, or hexagonal head. Remove these two bolts.
Step 4: Move the front seats all the way back. If your car has power-operated seats, then don't disconnect the battery or electrics just yet.
Step 5: Now, repeat the same process with Steps 2 and 3, by removing the two bolts on the front-end of the rail, for both left- and right-hand rails altogether.
Step 6: Disconnect your car's battery. It's important to bear in mind that you shouldn't disconnect the wires for your car's powered seats while the key is in the ignition and the battery is still connected. Doing this may just trigger the airbags to come on, or at least an SRS warning light.
Step 7: If your car has power seats, then there will be a lot of cables and wiring that you'll need to unplug. Be sure to remember which wires are plugged into which socket later on. You may need to gently lift up the seats - having someone else to help you would make this easier - in order to access the wires.
Step 8: Once you're certain that all the wiring has been unplugged, carefully lift the seats and slot them through the door.
Step 9: When you've already finished the deed of cleaning the unpleasantries underneath your car's seats, you can repeat all of these steps in reverse order to fit your seats back in. Be sure to have those wires re-plugged correctly to prevent any airbag or seat-belt warning lights from popping up.
A hot tip for those of you whose cars may have quite complicated seats, have your phone's camera at the ready. Take plenty of photos of where things should go before and after. For example, take a clean screenshot of the powered seat wires before detaching them, so you could reference them later on when you're re-plugging them back in.
Okay, maybe removing the seats is a bit too tough for most people. While completely removing the front seats will allow you to get into every nook and cranny, and possibly even giving enough room for you to wash the fabric liner and carpeting below, it's going to take some elbow grease to get there. Plus, there are all the many looms of wires and cables running around that might be too daunting.
So, is there an easier way? Well, if you can compromise on a spotless finish, then we can still do as good of a job as possible with what we have. The tools that you'll need is a vacuum cleaner, a small brush (preferably those used for detailing), or a can of compressed air. Starting at the bottom of the car, use your brush to dislodge as much loose dirt and dust as possible from the rails.
Brush in between the bolts, and every opening possible along the length of the rail. Remember to move the front seats as far back and forwards to get the most amount of exposure to the area below your car seats. If the brush doesn't work, then try the can of compressed air, and see if that could free up the more stubborn debris. Then, get your vacuum out.
Without any attachments, suck up as much as you can of the carpets surrounding the bottom of the seats. It may also help to have a slim crevice tool or nozzle attached to the front for later. Now, you can try to get a bit deeper underneath the seats. While you're moving your seats back and forth, you ought to try and clean out the areas besides your seats too, such as between the centre console.
Another bonus tip here is to use your tiny detailing - or bristle - brush while you're holding the vacuum. Use the brush to dislodge any dust or dirt, and immediately have it sucked away by the vacuum before it gets stuck anywhere else. In all, cleaning the nasty areas underneath your car's seats is certainly worth doing every once in a while, even if it may take a bit of time and effort.
]]>Having your car repainted over is complex, time-consuming, and stupidly expensive, especially when it's to cover up what appears to be a trivial fault. Thankfully, the advances in paint tech mean that there are far cheaper and simpler ways of patching up and repairing those pesky paint chips. Plus, actually needing to go out of your way to find a paint chip repair kit by yourself is quite easy, too.
The most important consideration as far as picking and choosing from the myriad of different paint chip touch-up kits is no doubt whether it matches your car. Its shimmering paintwork is the first thing that your eyes lock on to, so it's worthwhile finding the right shade of colour to match your car. A bit too dark of maroon on your cherry red car will almost immediately look out of place.
The good news here is that many paint touch-up and repair brands have easy ways to get the perfect colour match. Chipex, for example, was among the first companies to use a registration plate system, so you'll only need to input your car's number plates to get the exact tinge from the manufacturer. Or, you could try and find your car's colour code from dozens of makes and models combined.
For Chipex, you find paint touch-ups made for popular carmakers such as Audi, BMW, Ford, Honda, Jaguar, Mercedes, Nissan, Mazda, Volkswagen, and a whole lot more. Regardless of whichever brand of paint chip repair kits that you pick, it's surprisingly very easy to find the right colours, and bring back that beaming glow and shine your car once had.
Once you've found whether or not the colour suits your car, there's a few other important variables of a paint touch-up kit to consider. Paint chip repair kits come in different forms, from brush bottles to pen tips. You'll have to choose between them depending on how bad the damage is, such as assessing the surface area of the chips and how many there are.
Pen - The most common variation of paint touch-up solutions is one that's delivered as a pen. It works like a typical marker such as a marker, where the paint flows to the precise tip of the pen. A paint pen is far easier to use and get it right, but it does dry out rather quickly. Moreover, it may take a little while for you to fill in every chip, so pick a pen only when the damage is minor.
Brush - If your paint chips are present in several parts of the car, and is larger than say, a pencil eraser (but still smaller than a penny), then it's worth stepping up to the brush. These kits look like oversized nail polish, with a bottle of paint and a brush applicator to smear onto your car. It might take a bit more skill to get the paint applied properly, but a brush does work better for larger chips.
Once that's done, you'll now have to think about how easy they are to use. You'd preferably want a paint repair kit with clear instructions, requires as few steps as possible, and dries out quickly. In the instance of Chipex, it fulfils all these requirements beautifully, with a touch-up solution that even the beginner could comfortably do, and its paints take often less than 5 minutes to dry.
But... Why should I actually bother with getting my car's paint chips repaired? I can hear you asking this, as the chip that you're encountering might be fairly trivial. Maybe it doesn't bother you as much, or you think it's not worth brushing fresh paint on your old car. Perhaps you might not have the time, or are just too busy to be shopping around for a bottle of paint.
Nonetheless, there are some very big upsides to getting those stone chips, scratches, dings, and other paint imperfections mended properly...
Prevents your car from rusting - Your car's paint isn't just to flaunt and show off its vibrant colours. The coatings of paint splotched onto your car doubles as a protective layer to shield its metal (or plastic) bodywork below from the elements. If your car's paint is exposed, then all that moisture, salt, grime, and contaminants can start rusting into your car's body, eating away all the metal.
Protects your car's resale value - While you may think that the puny stone chips are nothing to worry about, the next potential owner might. Even the smallest of damage can make substantial dents to your car's resale value. You'd have to be very lucky to find a future buyer who's either oblivious, or is incredibly merciful to not knock off hundreds or thousands of pounds from the asking price.
Paint resprays are expensive - Let's be fair, it's hard to ignore stone chips and scratches. They're a sore sight for your eyes, and you'd surely be keen to have it fixed right away. Typically, this means sending your car over to a paint shop. In the UK, even the most basic full respray can cost you at least £1,000. Or, why not get a DIY-style touch-up kit, where a whole bottle can be had for less than £50.
A quick and easy repair - Another add-on plus point for choosing a paint touch-up and repair kit over passing it on to a full paint shop is time. Getting your car's paint stripped down, repainted, and then meticulously detailed might see you parting ways with your car for several days or upwards of a week. An at-home paint touch-up, meanwhile, would spare you no more than just an hour or two.
]]>It's not so much the climate itself that tricks us to crash into things. However, our lack of preparation may certainly kill us. As well-engineered and refined as modern vehicles are to give us every creature comfort and safety possible, there is one critical flaw - the tyres. So, should you really get different tyres for winter, or is the whole idea of fitting winter tyres just completely unnecessary?
Before we discuss with greater specificity as to why winter tyres are (spoilers) absolutely vital when it starts snowing, we should dive a bit into the different types of tyres. It's crucial to know the subtle nuances between why summer tyres are unique from winters etc, so you could best plan a safe road trip or commute for the next time the weather changes.
As the name suggests, summer tyres are formulated first and foremost to work best in warm and dry climates. For those that live in constantly sunny and tropical parts of the world, they only need to be concerned over this one type of tyre. The rubber compound used for summer tyres has greater traction and handling in dry conditions. They could handle wet weather decently well, too
Summer tyres are well-liked for their ability to get the most out of a car's performance and sporting agility. As a part of the design on its treads and contact patches, summer tyres have reduced rolling resistance, thus contributing to better fuel efficiency and less road noise. However, the rubber in summer tyres can harden when temperatures drop below 7°C, leading to less grip.
That 7°C figure is a very important threshold to remember. When the temperatures outside drop below this, it's time to get the winter tyres out. In stark contrast to the summers, winter tyres are best in cold, snowy, or wet conditions. This is thanks to a few changes. The rubber compound can stay flexible and soft, thus ensuring better traction in colder climates.
It also has deeper grooves to add grip when there's a lot of snow or slush on the road, which could effectively displace water or ice, and helps the tyres to bite against the ground. However, winter tyres are far too soft to use during warmer weather. Using winters in the summer could lead to not only the tyres wearing themselves down quicker, but also lead to higher fuel consumption and road noise.
Now, we have a compromise between summer and winter tyres. All-season tyres can absorb the benefits of the two, by providing ample - albeit not exceptional - traction in both dry and hot, or cold and wet conditions. It doesn't harden like summer tyres, nor is the rubber far too soft like winters. Moreover, the grooves and treads best mimic a mix of both worlds, as well.
There's a good reason why people choose to fit them all year round. It's convenient, as you won't have to refit new tyres when the weather changes, and you don't have to leave spare storage for unused tyres. However, there is a drawback. All-season tyres aren't able to provide the best traction in either hotter or colder climates. Plus, all-season tyres have a habit of removing a bit of edgy sharpness from a car's otherwise sporty handling.
When it starts snowing, or when then temperatures drop below 7°C, then yes, you should right away start fitting some winter tyres. The benefits are countless, starting with the foremost upside to winter tyres - traction. Being able to grip well onto the surface of the road below will do wonders for our car's overall stability and safety, which includes cornering and braking.
The latter point we made earlier is in fact quite profound. According to Continental, a car on winter tyres can stop about 8-metres - or around two car lengths - shorter in the snow than if it was fitted with summers. The difference gets bigger while driving on ice, with winter tyres having a huge 11-metre lead over summer tyres, which is more or less the length of a double decker bus.
Besides, being able to actually have some traction does make the job of driving in the snow so much easier, if safety alone isn't enough to convince you. Furthermore, there are secondary pros of using winter tyres in their natural habitat. Using these instead of summer tyres can prevent your precious rubber from wearing out too quickly, thus saving you a big penny on your next tyre refit.
In summary, winter tyres are essential for that time when the weather turns frosty. Even if you have all-wheel drive, that extra traction isn't going to help if you still have summer tyres running over snowy or icy roads, especially under braking. Some do ponder about mixing up summers and winters on the same car, which isn't safe as it distributes the traction unevenly.
Winter tyres can indeed be an added expense as a whole, but it's one which we heartily recommend in the name of keeping you, your occupants, and your precious automobile safe. It's amazing how easy it is to break the limits of grip and find yourself hurling into a tree. So, as Santa ever so slowly descends into his sleigh, remember to put winter tyres in your pre-winter shopping and to-do lists.
]]>No need for expensive resprays or trips to the body or paint shop after a puny little ding. However, there's this realisation of the intricacies of automotive paints hanging over your shoulders, which makes the whole ordeal a bit daunting. One question that we ask more often than not is whether we should wax our cars before or after touching them up. Is there really a difference?
In short, there is indeed a difference. If you need a quick and straight answer, then in this case, our reply would be that you should only wax your car after touching it up. But as to why this is the case, you ought to stick around to learn more. There is, of course, many different steps from first coming across that chip or scratch, and then touching it up, before giving it a final waxing job.
So, let's take a closer look one by one, and find out why waxing (as well as polishing) before touching up your car's paint could make the whole process a lot harder than it needs to be.
While any polishing or waxing is best left to after the paint touch-up, a good wash beforehand comes as highly recommended. So, before you get the touch-up repair kit ready, be sure to give your car a thorough and deep scrub. A bucket, some water, car washing shampoo, and a sponge is a great way to get all the muck, grime, and other contaminants away from the damaged spot.
As small as the debris might be, it can have a huge impact on how the paint will look afterwards. Hence, why you must always wash your car before a paint touch-up. You don't need to wash the whole car, just around the spot where you'll be touching up. Once this is done, run a microfibre cloth over the top to get rid of any dirt that might remain, and let it dry.
If your car's paint is badly damaged to a point where the bare bodywork underneath is exposed, then applying primer first is a must. This would help the paint stick onto the metal or plastic body panels nicely, and give it some added protection. Although if the damage is mostly surface level, then you could skip the primer.
So far, no waxing is needed. Remember that waxing compounds form a protective layer over the area that's been waxed. If you apply wax prior to the touch-up, the new paint won't be able to stick properly. At best, it will still stick, but the end result would appear as though your touched up paint is floating on top of the rest of the car. Save the wax for later.
Once the soap's all completely dry, you can start touching up the paint. Carefully apply the base coat layer before letting that one dry. Depending on the temperature and the touch-up paint you use, each layer of the base coat - and there should be a few layers - can take around 30 minutes to dry. When the base coat is complete and dried, you can start with the clear coat.
While the base coat is how your car will get its colour, the clear coat is what protects it from the elements. The clear coat is transparent, and is thinly applied. Several (thin) layers of the clear coat ought to be touched up, and you'll have to wait around 30 minutes or so for every layer to dry. When the rest of the clear coat has been applied, let it rest and cure.
At this stage, you should've already finished the whole touch-up process, and your paintwork is very nearly close to looking as it was on the showroom floor. Now, we get into the part of making it look uncannily as though it's been detailed by a professional. When discussing how long you need to wait after the touch-up before giving it a good wax, the answer varies.
Generally speaking, the longer you wait, the better. There are some who prefer to wait a few weeks or at least a month after the touch-up before the first wax. Nevertheless, it's relatively safe to start waxing even after just 24 hours. Many people recommend wet sanding or using polishing compounds to soften and smoothen out the paint on and around the touch-up area.
This process will wear down the paint just a little bit to get rid of any imperfections, and ensures that the surface is as seamless as possible. When you're doing this, bear in mind that the touched up paint is still rather fresh, so be a bit more gentle around that area. Following this, we come to the waxing part. Apply as much wax as you see fit.
Waxing your car adds a layer of shine and gleam that your car most deserves. Doing so after a paint touch up allows that new coat of paint to blend in beautifully with the rest of the car a whole lot better, too. Moreover, that wax will also add an extra layer of protection for your paintwork against future scratches, UV (sunlight), the weather, and more. Automotive wax is a godsend, but only if you use it right.
]]>Does one sand between the coats? There are, after all, many individual layers sprayed on top of one another on your car's bodywork. These layers are what gives your car its unique tinge of colour, as well as its richness and depth. So, does sanding it down ruin or improve your car's overall finish, especially with a paint touch-up? Well, the answer is a bit complicated.
You're not recommended to sand after every primer coats, or following the upper base- and clear coats. The justification for this is quite simple, in that the paint might still be a bit too soft or wet, despite it not appearing so to the naked eye, or to the touch. Even just a tiny swipe of your sandpaper could ruin the finish, and you'll then have to sand it all the way down and start over.
You may be (very) careful in sanding it if there is a speck of dust, sand, or debris that lands on the wet paint, and you need to wipe it off. Alternatively, the paint isn't even, there is some paint running blobs down the side, or if the texture isn't right. This too could be rectified with a bit of careful and slow sanding. But otherwise, it's pointless.
More to that, it makes your paint touch-up job a lot more complex, time-consuming, and expensive for no reason whatsoever. However, there's a lot more truth in the pudding than it might seem. To look at this more closely, we'll look at whether sanding is something you should consider doing at all for every coat level...
The primer is the base of your paintwork, sitting between the bare metal or plastic body underneath, and the colourful paints up top. Using a primer enables greater adhesion, and enabling the paint to stick onto the bodywork a lot better. It fills in any gaps or defects in the bodywork by smoothening it out, as well as providing extra protection for the body from corrosion, UV light, and so on.
One key subject with the primer is that it needs to be smooth and even, thus ensuring that your base- and clear coats are perfect and levelled. Thus, some people have wondered if sanding after every single coat of primer - and the entire primer layer has multiple coats - could help with this. The answer, is no. There's no point at all for sanding after each coat.
The only result that you'll achieve is prolonging your repainting or touch-up process. However, many professional painters do recommend sanding after all the coats of primer are done. Only after the primer as a whole has dried through its many coats, you could sand it to further ensure that the surface is completely smooth and free of debris. This would be immensely helpful later on.
Following the primer, you have the base coat. This is where the actual paint comes in, and it's from this base coat that your car gets its colours and dazzle. Just like the primer, the base coat is not applied as a single coat, and is indeed sprayed as multiple individual coats. In this case, sanding between every single coat of the base coat layer, or even once it's done is unnecessary.
As we mentioned earlier, any use of sanding along the base coat should only be done in the case of there being any damage, debris, or imperfections in the paint. With some types or shades of paints, such as metallic or pearlescent colours, sanding could massively ruin the looks of the metallic flakes or pearls. At which point, you'll have to undo that whole coat.
Up top, we have the clear coat. This is a transparent layer of paint that acts as a finisher on top of your base coat and form a protective layer. Although the clear coat is quite thin, you'd still need to - generally speaking - at least apply several coats to form the entire clear coat layer. Just like with the base coat, sanding between coats of the clear coat is not recommended.
If there is some imperfection or defects, then sand it down very, very carefully. This is owing to how thin the clear coat is. If you've sanded past this and onto the base coat layer below, then you'll have to sand away all of the clear coat and repaint a bit of the base coat. Once again, the consequence of sanding could result in you having to spend more time, energy, and money than is required.
Nevertheless, many people recommend wet sanding and polishing only after the clear coat as a whole is done, and fully dried out. A lot of water sits between the clear coat and the abrasive sanding material, which helps to sand down the paint, or any tiny imperfections more thoroughly. The use of wet sanding and polishing compounds is quite popular in the automotive detailing industry.
There is a very familiar pattern emerging here. Sanding is a process that you should use sparsely, and only when there is a need for it. Sanding after the primer layer is complete is a great way to iron out any tiny flaws that you might've missed. The base coat and its many layers can be sanded, but very carefully so, and only when you need to rectify errors in the paint job.
Even then, you should reapply that entire layer of the base coat once more to maintain the look of the paintwork. The clear coat, meanwhile, should be treated the same way. Once that's dried out and complete, a bit of wet sanding and polishing would do wonders at perfecting your car's fresh coat of paint that bit better.
]]>While it doesn't happen so much on modern cars, it's still possible if left exposed in just the right conditions. The effects of this aren't just unpleasant to the eyes, but the rust could compromise the rigidity of your car. In short, rust is hideous and dangerously bad. If this is happening to you right now, what are the rust treatments and preventions that you should consider for your car?
Before we get into treatment, we should first pinpoint the exact cause of the rust itself. Otherwise known as oxidation, practically any form of metal is vulnerable. Despite the highly advanced alloys and coatings designed to deter it, the iron that forms a core part of metal could still rust in certain environments. Leave it for long enough, and metal will degrade and reduce into iron oxide.
This happens as the iron molecules at the surface react with oxygen. This reaction creates a new material to form, iron oxide, or more popularly known as rust. This is made worse with those clever alloys that we talked about. For all their added advantages such as greater tensile strength and its flexibility, alloys can add impurities that'll cause iron in the metal alloys to rust quicker.
Other factors could also accelerate this rusting process, such as a car's exposure to salt. Salts and contaminants on the road can mix with water, and turn into electrolytes. When exposed to iron within the metal alloys, this speeds up oxidation. There are, nonetheless, different types of rust. Each one will naturally have unique ways of treating and fixing it.
The first - and least serious - type of rust that you'll encounter is 'surface rust'. The name tells it all, as surface rust exists only on the surface of a metal structure or panel. Surface rust is mostly formed when there is mechanical damage - such as physical scratches - or through prolonged UV (sunlight) exposure. Hence, why even cars in warm and dry weathers are subject to surface rust.
Thankfully, surface rust isn't - at first, anyway - a serious issue. It hasn't penetrated deep enough into the rest of the metal alloy to cause any structural damage. On the contrary, depending on what the alloy is made from and how thick it is, that surface rust could actually start protecting the rest of the metal from further corrosion. Nevertheless, surface rust should still be looked into right away.
If you wait too long to fix it, a change in weather, for example, could start eating away the metal, and that surface rust will turn a lot more serious. Fixing surface rust is the simplest of the bunch and is quite similar to a lot of paint repair...
Moving up a bit in terms of seriousness, we have 'scale rust'. While it may start appearing along the surface, you can start seeing bubbles forming in your car's paint. The outer layers of paint will then continue to expand until it cracks and flakes away, before unveiling the rusty hell below. This is where scale rust comes along, which can penetrate deep below the surface.
This very rough scale rust could sooner or later affect the strength of the metal alloy, and begin to compromise its rigidity. Scale rust is what happens when you don't treat surface rust right away. The fix for scale rust, consequently, needs to go a lot deeper than surface rust...
This is where it gets nasty, when you leave your surface, and later, scale rust goes unchecked. Initially minor cosmetic damage, it'll start eating into the metal alloy, and penetrating straight into the entire metal structure. At the very least, it'll create holes - both big and small - but at the very worst, it can weaken your car's entire frame, bodywork, and other metal components.
Penetrating rust appears when scale rust goes unfixed, and all those rusty metal flakes start chipping it away. As you can imagine, such a significant amount of rust may render your car unsafe to use. Here, you have two options for a fix...
To summarise in a pinch, treating rust on your car has a very familiar trend with almost any other automotive maintenance. Once a problem starts to appear, you would be wise to start fixing it as soon as possible, before it snowballs into something worse. Rust is no different, beginning with mere surface damage, and all the way to turn your car into a block of cheese.
]]>You tried polishing the scratch or chip in the paintwork... It doesn't work. You search through every cabinet and drawer for a permanent marker or fingernail polish that matches the colour of your car...To no avail. But "aha!", you do have a motorbike, and there is a bottle of paint repair that's very similar. However, is motorcycle touch-up paint really the same as a car's touch-up paint?
In short, yes, indeed a motorcycle's touch-up paint - and the painting process and compounds as a whole - is similar to that of a car. Thus, you could use your motorcycle's paint repair kit for your car in that aforementioned scenario. Or vice versa, a car's paint touch-up can be used on a motorcycle, without you being able to spot any difference at all, so long as the paint itself matches in colour.
This is since the art of painting a motorcycle and a car is interchangeable, albeit one needs to better distinguish between painting plastic and metal components. Otherwise, the type of paint and how you apply them is no different with either two or four wheels. Generally speaking, the painting application has several layers - or more specifically "coats" - painted on top of one another.
Primer - This is the bottom layer of paint, which goes straight on top of the bodywork, be it metal or plastic. The primer works mainly to create a better adhesion between the body underneath, and the successive coats of paint on top. It makes it easier for paints to stick. Moreover, primer is able to assist in levelling or smoothing out the surface of the body panels. Hence, this irons out any defects and ensures the paint looks nicer once applied. Primer also works to protect the body from damage.
Base Coat - Applied after the primer, the base coat is where the paint's shading and colour, as well as any effects, are found. Essentially, the base coat is how your paintwork can get its hue and vibrancy. Base coats are separated into distinct pigments, each with its own visual flair. Glossy paints are the easiest to apply and most commonly found on cars and motorcycles. Meanwhile, metallic paints are more expensive but have metal or aluminium flakes to make the paint sparkle.
Clear Coat - This is the top-most layer, and sprayed after the base coat has dried. Optionally, there could've been a "mid coat" between the base- and clear coats, if you're choosing a deep and rich tri-colour paint. In all, the clear coat is a transparent layer that finishes off the paint and forms a protective coating. Clear coats are thus made to be highly resistant against abrasion or minor damage, as well as surviving exposure to climate, temperature, and UV light (sunlight).
So then, the paint in a car and motorcycle is generally very similar. In fact, some touch-up paint repair kits openly advertise as being able to work on both. The only thing to remember is trying to find one that matches either your four- or two-wheeler vehicle. It can be made a bit easier for some brands. One great example is BMW, which is a popular maker of both cars and bikes.
A few of its paint options between both vehicles are shared, or at the very least, quite similar. For instance, 'dunkelblau' - or dark blue, is more or less the same on either a BMW motorcycle or a car for a darkish blue colour. If you happen to have a paint touch-up bottle or pen for your dark blue BMW bike, then it could very well match nicely with your dark blue BMW car.
There is, in addition, one other important caveat to consider - flex agent, or flex additive. Flex additive is a chemical compound that you'd normally mix in the primer, or sometimes the upper layer of the clear coat. As the name suggests, a flex agent helps the paint to flex or bend without the now-hardened paintwork cracking. It's worth noting that some motorcycle parts are quite bendy.
This is especially so with the plastic bodywork and panels around the fenders or along the side. All of which can bend around under pressure, although this is ordinary. A car's bodywork doesn't do this to an extreme degree, which is why paints on a motorbike can sometimes have flex agent. The thicker the coats of paint you apply, the more likely it is to crack when the bodywork flexes.
Nonetheless, paint technology has moved on quite a bit. As a result, even basic types of paint these days don't crack easily when the surfaces under it are flexing. So, you wouldn't have to be concerned about this too badly. Plus, if you're using touch-up paint only for only a small area like a thin scratch or a tiny stone chip, then the thought of flex additive isn't something you ought to worry about.
In summary, you can indeed use motorcycle touch-up paint for your car, and vice versa. Although we'd still recommend getting a proper touch-up repair solution to better match your exact vehicle, it could be interchanged in a pinch, or if you can't find the specific one for your car or motorcycle. At the end of the day, whether or not the colour matches is the only thing you need to think over.
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