Basic Body Work: Fixing a Deep Scratch in Your Car's Paint
Deep scratches are unsightly and a pain to repair, but anyone with the right tools and a bit of patience can make it look like it never happened. Here's how to go about it...
Detailing Tips and Tutorials Archive
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How to clean salt and grime off the car after winter
What's the best way to clean the car now that the worst of winter is (hopefully) done? Here are 10 tips for cleaning, and detailing your car the right way…...
Sanitizing Your Car to Kill Viruses and Bacteria
Coronavirus has been declared a global pandemic. Good personal hygiene is critical to avoid catching the virus, but what can you do to keep your car virus-free? Haynes offers some timely advice.
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Basic Body Work: Side Mirror Replacement
If you drive in urban environments, chances are sooner or later you are going to get a side view mirror broken off by another car getting too close, or a bicycle, or even a parking meter. Luckily, modern cars make replacing the glass of a broken mirror easy. In fact, in many cases you can do it in...
Basic Body Work: Minor Dent and Ding Repair Options
Over the years, no matter how careful you are, your car is going to collect minor parking lot dents and shopping cart dings. If you have ever had to pay a body shop to fix these seemingly insignificant blemishes, you know the bill is quite significant. But if you are handy, there is no reason you...
Basic Body Work: Repairing Rust Damage with Fiberglass Gel
Cars and trucks today are much less rust prone than they were just 20 years ago, but if you drive in an area that uses salt on the roads you can still get rust through long before the mechanical parts are worn out. Minor rust damage on non-structural parts of the car, like these bubbles on the...
Basic Body Work: Pulling Dents and Dings with a Stud Welder
In the past we have talked about rust repair, which has also gotten less common, and fixing deep scratches in the paint, but what if there is an actual dimple or crease?
The Jeep Patriot we tore down and reassembled for our recent repair manual had a dented front fender from a parking mishap. For...
Show Your Car Some Love This Spring
Pundits and academic types say "American's have a love affair with the automobile", but over and above that, there are those of us who feel actual affection for our vehicles, like a mechanical pet or a trusted friend. It makes sense when you think about it, because your car is there...
How to polish a car
If you find that the water no longer ‘beads’ on your car’s paintwork when it rains or when you wash it, a coat of polish wouldn’t hurt. In this quick tutorial we’ll explain how to polish a car, with tips on how to ensure the best results.