16 Jul 09 How to Fix a Crack in the Windshield
If you live anywhere where the hail falls like golf balls or it gets hot enough to boil eggs on the hood then you will have or get cracks in the windshield. Most of the time they are ignored until they become big, and expensive deals.
It doesn’t have to cost the earth to get a crack or chip fixed. A professional will charge around $60 to fix it for you, which is much better than at least $300 for the windshield. Alternatively you can buy a kit and do it yourself for between $10-$15.
These kits contain a UV cure epoxy resin which you inject into the chip or crack and allow to dry. If the job is done properly it is almost invisible to the eye and restores the windshields strength to prevent further cracks appearing. These kits take around 20 minutes to use and is well worth the time and money as far as aesthetics and windshield preservation are concerned.
Alternatively you can make your own “resin” to fix a crack. Get a plastic bowl and add half a cup of water and 1 tablespoon of salt to it. Then a further of bug spray like Raid then a tablespoon of rubbing alcohol. Mix thoroughly with a spoon or something and apply several layers of it to the chip or crack with a brush. Allow it to dry out of direct sunlight for a couple of hours and when you return the crack or chip will be gone!
16 Jul 09 How to Touch up Bodywork
Nothing annoys a car lover more than finding a mystery scratch on your bodywork, especially if you have no idea where it came from. Fortunately, with a spare afternoon and a couple of tools we can make it as good as new. There is nothing like a little auto body repair to make you feel more in touch with your vehicle!
You will need some car paint, some clear base coat and some automotive sandpaper. Car paint is a specific mixture, combining different colors and lacquers to create the end result. This car paint is available from most good auto stores or online. Often they are make and model specific so you can get a finish as close as possible to your car color. The specific colors can also be provided by your manufacturers dealership in aerosol or pen form, but you will pay a premium buying it from them. You will also need sandpaper designed for car paint. It isn’t quite as abrasive as normal sandpaper and will give a much cleaner and softer finish.
Before even opening the paint, you need to prepare the vehicle properly. This is 90% of getting a good finish. Clean the car first and allow it to completely dry. Then lightly sand the area around the scratch with automotive sandpaper then clean all the old paint and dust away from the area being painted. This area needs to be as clean and uncontaminated as possible to give the best possible finish.
Apply a thin layer of clear base coat to the affected area and allow it to dry. This will give the paint a key to stick to. While that’s drying, find a spot on your car that nobody really sees. I generally choose the area where my spare wheels lives as it’s out of sight most of the time. Clean an area and apply a light coat of the base and then the color paint and let that dry too. Check the color match to make sure the paint is the right shade to match the bodywork. Car colors fade in the sun, and painting somewhere not generally seen gives you the opportunity to check the color match without displaying it for the world to see.
If the match is good and the base coat is dry on the scratch carefully apply the color paint to the car. Use light and even strokes in one direction until the area is covered. Allow it to dry thoroughly and repeat at least one more coat. Two coats should suffice but if you need to apply more repeat this process as many times as you need.
These touch up paints normally have lacquer built into them. If for some reason yours doesn’t you will now need to apply a couple of layers of lacquer to protect the color. Once the painting and/or lacquering is complete, apply normal car wax to the area buffing as you would normally.
If you have done this correctly the once annoying scratch should now be invisible to the eye. You have learned something about detailing and saved yourself a few dollars by doing it yourself!
