DIY CAR REPAIR

We know you love your car, and keeping it looking as clean and new as possible is an important part of every car owner’s routine. But over time, your car will undoubtedly accrue its fair share of dings and dents from common road debris like pebbles and some more uncommon sources like bicycles or shopping carts. While minor damage like this can be reported to your insurance company, it’s often not worth the cost of the deductible, as well as the threat of increased insurance rates later on. If keeping your car looking new while saving a few bucks is on your mind, try these helpful DIY tips for keeping your vehicle as pristine as the day you bought it.

DENTS

Let’s face it. Dents happen, and they can come from a host of common and uncommon sources. Whether they’re on your hood, doors, bumpers or roof, keeping your car free of these unsightly warped areas could be easier and cheaper than you might have feared. One of the simplest ways to try to remove a dent from your car is by using a common household plunger. By wetting the rubber end and placing it around the dent, many car owners have been able to quickly and easily pop the metal back into place. Of course, if this doesn’t work, there are other items you can buy for your car that are designed specifically to use this same method of repair.

Another more obscure way to remove dents may be through the use of a hair dryer and a can of compressed air. by heating up the dented area with the hairdryer and then quickly cooling it with compressed air, oftentimes the metal will snap back into its original position due to the extreme changes in temperature. While this frequently works on larger pieces of the car like the hood or roof, it’s certainly worth a try no matter where your car is bruised and battered.

SCRATCHES

While roads may usually look clear, drivers know that there are countless little stones and pebbles just waiting to bounce up and put a chip in your paint. Add to that the risk of shopping carts and other careless parking lot drivers and your car’s paint may never be safe again. Luckily there are some simple ways to reduce or even remove the look of a scratch in your paint job. The first option is a scratch repair product which can be used on shallow scratches to blend them into the paint around them and make them essentially disappear. Another easy fix is touch up paint, which can be purchased at your dealer or local auto parts store. Simply get a paint that matches the color of your car and use the small pen or brush to cover the scratch, hiding it from view.

Keeping up with your car’s appearance is simple. Add checking for minor damage to your routine car checklist and in no time you’ll not only have a car that runs flawlessly but looks incredible as well.