Sometimes, a scratch or scuff on your car’s bodywork is just too deep and wide to be able to use a paint repair kit, and the panel may need respraying instead.
However, if money is tight and you simply can’t afford to have it done professionally, or your car isn’t worth spending that kind of cash on, the other option is to do it yourself. We’re talking aerosol cans here, and not a compressor and paint gun.
Daunting? Yes, but it can easily be done to a level where it at least looks much better than a nasty gouge running across the bodywork.
Some panels will be harder to spray than others, so be wary of the task ahead. A large area like the roof, bonnet or boot lid, for example, will be extremely hard to tackle and will require some good skills to do a good job. Unless you really don’t care too much about the outcome, I’d recommend taking it to a professional to have sizeable areas like those spray painted.
Getting the correct paint colour match is absolutely essential, and while you’re working to a budget, there are still lots of places out there who can mix cans of paint to the exact specification of your car by using the paint code, and they’ll be pretty much close price-wise to the generic ones available from nationwide motoring stores. Oh, and it’ll likely be a much better match than using theirs too.
There are plenty of videos on YouTube on how to prep and spray your car, so take your pick. I like this one, simply because it’s fun and easy to follow:
If you don’t have a garage, or one big/tidy enough to pull the car into, or the weather is looking bad, it’s probably best to remove the panel and find somewhere under cover and well ventilated, to do the job.
This is a guide on how to do a basic spray job, and not one on how to fill in/repair dents and really deep scratches, although there are plenty of YouTube guides on how to that as well.
Equipment you’ll need
Note: there are specific ‘wet-on-wet application’ paints that can be used without the need to sand between coats. These will save both time and effort.
Preparing the area
1. If you’ve not removed the panel, carefully mask off the areas around it to avoid overspray.
2. Wash the panel down with soap and water. Make sure the area is completely clean and free of any baked-on dirt and grime.
3. Dry the panel, and then use the degreaser on a cloth over the entire area, to make sure there’s nothing that’ll stop the paint from sticking.
4. Rub the area down with your grit paper as evenly as possible, making sure any light scratches are flatted so they won’t show when you spray the panel.
5. Wipe the panel down once more with degreaser, and make sure all dust from the sanding is completely removed.
Spraying the panel
1. After shaking the primer can thoroughly (always read the instructions on it), apply the primer by spraying it in a light, even pattern across the panel. Do not spray on thickly, otherwise the paint will wrinkle and you’ll have to rub the panel down and start again.
2. Allow each layer of primer to dry thoroughly (which can vary depending on the temperature and humidity), before applying another one. It’s recommended that at least 3 or 4 coats are applied.
3. Next, move onto the basecoat. Again, follow the manufacturers instructions and shake the can throughly. Repeat step 2 with the basecoat and apply coats evenly and thinly, covering the entire panel each time.
4. Now for the clearcoat. Follow steps 2/3 with it, except this time spray the clearcoat in one direction without going over the same area with each coating. Wait 5 – 10 minutes (depending on the temperature/humidity), and feel for it being ‘tacky’ to the touch (in an unnoticeable area), before applying another coat.
5. Once the clearcoat is completely dry, check for any ‘orange peel’ (where the finish appears slightly patterned, like orange skin), and if this is the case, you may want to sand it down with very light grit paper, and then either machine or hand-polish the area to get a cleaner finish.
6. Finally, to protect the paint finish, I would recommend using a good quality sealant and/or carnauba wax, which will also give the paintwork an ultimate depth of shine.
If you’ve done it right, your car now looks way better than before, has improved in resale value, and you’ve saved yourself a load of money over a professional spray job!
Written by Chris Davies – an award-winning motoring journalist writing for CarProductsTested.com
]]>If you could choose between a Ford or a Ferrari, what would you pick? If the search engine stats are anything to go by, many countries are more inclined to search for Fords than Ferraris. However, recent research into who searches for each brand the most is quite revealing.
If you want to find out which countries love luxury cars and who is more likely to look up a more practical and affordable option, then take a look at the latest Chipex UK research.
When it comes to searching for Ford vehicles, the USA are the top searchers. In fact, the USA are searching both the brand names ‘Ford’ and ‘Ferrari’ more than anyone else, with Ford winning out.
The reason that the US is searching the brands more than anyone else could be due to their high population and affluence. Plus, the US have an emerging economically active group who are more likely to lease than to buy, meaning that the automotive economy is growing with people changing their vehicles more regularly. On top of this, the USA is the birthplace of the Ford Motor Company, which explains its popularity in searches at 1,200,000.
After the US, the countries that are most likely to search for ‘Ferrari’ are India and Brazil, with both having an average of 135,000 searches. In India, the Ford brand falls behind searches for Ferrari quite heavily, with around half the average searches. However, in Brazil it’s more like a quarter of the average searches compared to Ferrari, with 30,100.
In countries like Turkey, the UK and France the balance is much more Ford heavy, with plenty of searches for Ford and around half the amount for Ferrari. The UK sees 201,000 searches for Ford compared to 90,500 for Ferrari, which isn’t massively surprising considering that Ford consistently tops the list of the most popular cars in the UK, with the Ford Fiesta being the nation’s favourite car.
European countries are more likely to search for Ford than Ferrari, with almost all of them having more searches for Ford. Of the European countries, Ford often comes out on top with countries like Austria, Denmark, Hungary, Portugal and Belgium all seeing far more searches for Ford than Ferrari.
Meanwhile, the same can’t be said for Asia, with many countries in Asia tending to search more for Ferrari over Ford. Countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore seeing more searches for the Ferrari brand.
According to Veygo Data Ford is a much more frequently searched brand globally compared to Ferrari. Ford came third in their research on the most searched car brands globally. Their searches came in at 6,420,410 whilst Ferrari was 2,430,970. Both brands fell behind the two most searched brands in the world – Toyota and Honda, with Ford coming in a close third.
]]>No matter the time of year, having your own car pressure washer can be a handy piece of kit to own. If you live in the countryside, cars get especially dirty from mud off the fields, which then turns to heavy dust or muck when the rain comes.
Each journey can leave your car filthy, and having to pay for even one car wash per week could add up to almost £300. For that kind of money, it’s definitely worth buying a decent car pressure washer.
If you want to keep your agricultural machinery clean too, you’re going to need something with serious power behind it, so I’ll cover for that in this article too.
While keeping your car clean if you’re a city dweller is usually less work, there’s still the fact that industrial fallout and heavy dust in the rain can occur quite frequently in summertime. That type of dust can be highly gritty, and if you wash the car without rinsing it properly first can cause heavy swirls and scratches, which dull the paint badly.
Because of the heavy-duty salt laid down on roads in winter, it’s always a good idea to keep your car cleaned at least once a week, especially under the wheel arches and undercarriage as much as possible, to help fend off the salt eating away and causing rust.
In all these cases, it’s cheaper to buy yourself a car pressure washer than spend hundreds per year on car washes, and it can keep your paintwork looking in better condition too.
No matter your budget, we’ve got you covered in this list of the best pressure washers for your money. TIP: As always, shop around for the best price, and keep an eye on postage costs too, as they can add a fair whack if you’re not careful.
Considering the price, this cheap ‘n’ cheerful washer gives a reasonable 60 bar (870 psi) pressure via a 1400W motor, is light at only 6.5 kilograms and comes with a one year guarantee . I’ve seen these retail at about £40.00, but a bit off searching on the ‘net should find you one below the £25.00 mark.
If you’re only using it for lighter mud and general road grime, but haven’t got much spare cash to splash, this’ll do the trick.
Makita HW101 AquaMak 240v 100 Bar Domestic Electric Pressure Washer (240-volt) : Approx. £54.00 – £57.00
Makita are known for their good quality tools, and they back this one up with a superb three year guarantee, stating ‘Makita will fix and service any Makita Powertool or accessory, even those models that may now be discontinued or obsolete’. Impressive.
There’s a decent 100 bar (1,450 psi) pressure from the 1300W motor, a flow rate of 360 litres per hour, and it weighs just 6.5 kgs too. Some even come with a snow foam lance as well, which makes cleaning the car even quicker. Bit of a bargain this one, and packs more of a punch than the cheaper pressure washer above.
Kärcher K2 Car Air-Cooled Pressure Washer (240-volt) : around £110.00 – £140.00
Kärcher are a very well-known pressure washer manufacturer, and they’re available both online and for sale at most larger car part stores, national DIY chains and even some supermarkets.
Kärcher make variety of machines going upwards in price, and there are also different versions for different tasks. This K2 Car Air-Cooled model has a 1400W motor, weighs 7 kilos, has 110 bar (1,595 psi) of pressure, a 360 litre per hour flow and a two year
The difference with this one is that is has a handy external detergent suction tube so you can fire liquid cleaner over the car to help ease the dirt away, plus it comes as a kit including a foam nozzle (for snow foam), a couple of different sprayer lances for different grades of dirt depth, a soft wash brush (although I don’t recommend using these. See my other Chipex article here for why not) and car shampoo, plus it also has wheels (which make it much easier to drag about) and holders for all the lances etc.
Bosch AQT 35-12 High Pressure Washer (240-volt) : £105.00 – £140.00
Bosch is another one who have been making power tools for a long time, so you’d assume their car pressure washers were decent as well.
The AQT 35-12 has a body weight of only 5.5 kgs, but puts out 120 bar (1,740 psi) of pressure from a 1500W motor, giving a flow rate of 350 l/p/h. This version comes with a 3 – 1 nozzle, for high pressure, rotary jet and low pressure soap. This saves having to mess about swapping between lances, which in turn saves time and mess (ever tried changing a lance section when your hands are freezing cold and covered in soap and water?).
Handy features include wheels, a handle that folds down to make for a compact system, a clear-view water filter, quick-connect SDS fittings and although there are no extras included (such as a snow foam attachment or brush), these are available for around £10.00 each.
Budget: £200.00 – £350.00
Kranzle K 1050 P Portable & Compact Pressure Cleaner: Approx. £300.00 – £350.00
More for the professionals, or if you’ve got the money and want something that will last a long time, the Kranzle K 1050 P offers high performance and high durability.
This version has a brass pump head for longevity, works from a standard 230-volt power point, offers 130 bar (1,885 psi) of pressure, a 450 litre per hour output, and is also compact too.
It comes with an 8-metre high-pressure hose, a trigger gun with safety catch and quick-release fitting, plus a flat-get stainless steel lance and brass quick-release. Various official lances are available for around £25 – £30.
However, it weighs a hefty 19 kilos and doesn’t have wheels, so it’s not one that you can simply drag around the driveway.
Instead, this one is meant to be left in one place and used via the included long hose. Available via the UK Kranzle site.
Karcher HD 5/11 P Pressure Washer (240 volt) : around £310.00
This Karcher is again aimed at professional use, but it wouldn’t be an issue using it for washing your car at home. It’s a cool looking thing too, and if you’re in the money and want something that’ll look decent in the garage, this is it.
The HD 5/11 P provides 110 bar (1,595 psi) of pressure and a water flow of 490 litres per hour. While the weight is 20.5 kilos, there are wheels to pull it around on, and the cool thing is that it’ll actually work horizontally too, so need to worry about keeping it upright any more.
There’s a thick, heavy-duty power cable and 10-metre high quality hose, and it includes features normally found on more expensive machines, such as a soft-start feature to protect internal components, an easy-press trigger for less stress on the hand, built-in storage for the lance and a large carry handle to make carrying it up ladders or steps easy, should you want to clean a large vehicle or house windows etc.
Pressure washers for agricultural/heavy-duty use only
If you need to clean thoroughly mucky farm equipment or 4x4s that are used off-road, these are the types of machine you’ll need. Note: some manufacturers say there aren’t suitable for cars, so check beforehand and be very careful using them. Some will strip away paint and decals if used too close to the bodywork!
If you’re away from a power point, or have something extremely dirty to wash, this one will do the trick, and at a reasonable price too.
It’s powered by a 6.5 horsepower, 4-stoke air cooled petrol engine, which kicks out a massive 2,900 psi (200 bar) of pressure, has a strong metal frame holding everything in place and wheels to cart it about, thankfully, as it weights 25 kilos.
There’s an 8 metre professional-grade hydraulic-type hose included, and the nozzle has 4 spray settings: ‘pencil-spray’ for really stubborn sections, low pressure for spraying on chemical cleaners, plus narrow and wide jets.
If you want something with incredible power for quickly and efficiently removing heavy dirt build-up, oil from garage floors, and a machine that’ll clean a vehicle in double-quick time, the Clarke PLS265 is definitely one to consider.
This is not a cheap power washer, but it’s built to slice through even thickly-layered muck in seconds, thanks to a 13 horsepower petrol engine. That’s a lot, considering a typical 50cc scooter makes around 5 – 7 hp!
In turn, this means a dirt-munching humongous 3,371 psi (260 bar) of pressure and a 990 litres per hour flow rate.
This beast weighs in at 62 kilograms, but you do get proper pneumatic tyres and a heavy-duty frame handle to pull it about. There’s also an adjustable pressure output, professional lance with protective shroud (yes, that’s definitely needed!) and a detergent pick-up hose.
Written by Chris Davies – an award-winning motoring journalist writing for CarProductsTested.com
Images:
– Muddy Chevy Silverado – Timothy Balogh
– Classic Pick-Up Truck In Mud: LadyDragonflyCC
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The car is much like a mobile extension of our house or office. It’s a place to work from on a laptop pinching the nearest shop’s wifi connection while huddled over a takeout coffee and croissant. It’s a place to socialise with your best mates as you head out of town on a short break. Or it can be a place in which we’ll spend ages as we push on hundreds of miles on the road trip of a lifetime. Heck, it can even double as a mobile B&B on wheels if you have a camper van of some sort.
The thing is, we all like our creature comforts, no matter what we’re using them for, and that means piling in the gadgets and gizmos to ease the travelling, or simply to have some fun. I’m here to help out with that, and in this post it’s all about the gear that’ll help out through the cold winter months.
There’s stuff for a range of budgets, and for all sorts of applications, so read on to find some cool car gadgets.
Note: if you want to read about winter driving tips, or what essentials to keep in your car for winter road conditions, read my other Chipex article here.
If you need your daily coffee fix, then you’re going to want this badly. The Handpresso Auto is powered via the 12-volt socket in your car, and it makes espresso better than you’ll get in the majority of coffee shops, in just a few minutes.
Depending on the version, it uses either E.S.E pads, ground coffee, Lavazza A Modo Mio capsules or Senseo style pads. Handily, this means you can take your coffee or pods/pads from home instead of buying more.
I reviewed the Handpresso Auto a fair while ago, and it’s still one of the coolest car gadgets I’ve ever tested. Definitely one for the wish list!
Prices on the French Handpresso website range from 99.00€ – 149.00€, plus more for the kit versions.
Okay, it’s about a mile away from the Handpresso Auto in terms of tech, but the heated travel mug is a must for keeping your brew warm in winter.
It’s all good making a flask for a journey to the local sledging hill, but let’s face it, most will be cold by the time you actually need a hot drink to warm your insides and hands.
The humble heated travel mug means you can keep your cuppa nice and hot, or warm the stuff from the flask, just by plugging the mug into a 12-volt socket.
I’m not talking the old-school water-heater element type here either, but a proper inbuilt heated system.
Most now come with handy USB connectors too, for those modern cars with those type of ports. Readily available from eBay, Amazon and camping/travel websites.
If you envy your friend for his car having heated seats, while you sit and freeze until your car warms through, worry no more, for there is an answer – and without the expense of changing your car to a higher spec model.
For the majority of motorists, with winter in full swing we dread the daily commute, or simply just having to drive. Once you’ve finished de-icing your car windows, you are then waiting for the mist to clear from the windscreen (I wrote about how to combat misted screens here), then the engine to get hot enough to get warm air from the vents, and all the while you’re sat freezing your butt off. Worse still if your vehicle has leather seats!
The answer is a heated seat cover. These used to be fairly pricy, but in the last couple of years they seem to be available everywhere, from the supermarket to the petrol station, and of course from all the usual big online sellers. For a bit more money, you can even get them with a built-in massage function. Nice.
Okay obviously this isn’t an in-car gadget per-se, but it is something you can use for those crisp winter days in the countryside with your family and friends.
Whether you’ve got up super-early to avoid the madness and anarchy of the local sledging hill, and are now ready for food, or you’re on a road trip and are ready for lunch with a view, you’ve got the benefit of avoiding the noisy, packed and overpriced fast-food restaurants or depressing motorway service stations, while also choosing to use your own better-quality grub.
If you’ve got a camper van or pick-up truck with a drop-down tailgate, that’s even better to use one in or on. Modern versions (single or double burners) are now lightweight and compact, and some fold down into their own box for easy storage. Hot sandwiches on a cold but brights winter’s day? Perfect.
By no means am I at all condoning drink driving. You’ll need a designated driver for this one. Oh, and plenty of money and a 4×4 with a big boot – possibly a Range Rover or the new Bentley Bentayga SUV. Well, I did say this article contained stuff for a range of budgets.
Here’s the thing, chaps, if you’re going on a long weekend to the country manor, or out on a shoot in the cold wintery weather, you’ll need a good supply of body-warming quality port, brandy, scotch or anything else people like, but you’ll also need somewhere to store it, plus the crystal glassware that goes along with it. A bespoke in-car drinks cabinet is what you require!
A while ago, the boys on Top Gear showed a special edition Holland & Holland Range Rover, which aside from upgrading the whole interior, also included a gun and drinks cabinet in the rear. The price of the Rangey plus this conversion now costs from a whopping £180,000.
However, there are now places such as Chapman Bespoke Woodwork, who will taylor-make absolutely beautiful ones to your exact requirements. All at a cost, of course. Chin chin!
While they aren’t massively popular in the UK yet, the car snow plough attachment (or ‘plow’ as the American spelling), is heavily used in colder parts of countries such as the United States and Canada, where they get proper winters.
Yes, we may think they’re a tad unnecessary here in Blighty, but I’ve seen snow ploughs attached to Land Rovers up in Scotland where they usually get snow when the rest of us don’t.
If the snow is ridiculously heavy and you want to be able to get out of your driveway, down your farm track or to clear the street for your (hopefully thankful) neighbours, then get yourself one of these. And a 4×4.
Depending on spec, they’re around £1,600 upwards. Not cheap, but great fun and it means you can get going on that road trip once it’s clear to the highways.
You only have to search YouTube for a few seconds to find some truly amazing videos that in-car cameras have caught, whether thats near misses, stunts, racing or anything else.
If you’re planning an epic road trip, it’s going to stay with you even better if you capture the drives and scenery along the way. For that, you’ll need a good action camera with a few accessories, including a waterproof tough case to avoid breakage from stones and water, plus exterior and interior car mounts for both windows and body panels, in order to mount it in the perfect position. Some can be had with Bluetooth linkage and built-in WiFi ,so you can control and see it live from your smartphone. Handy.
There are now an absolute stack of different makes and models to choose from, so don’t just go for the big brands as you can get plenty of value for money on cheaper versions, which still have loads of great features and accessories as standard, and cost a whole lot less than the big names.
Loads of online places sell HD action cameras now, so make sure to shop around for the best value for your budget.
If you’re travelling on a budget, but the weather is terrible so you can’t camp in a tent, and you also want to save on hotels, the car air bed is a simple but brilliant invention. It gives you the freedom of being able to park up in a scenic spot, and then get on the road early again.
You can buy a single version to put across the back seats if you have a saloon, or if you’re fortunate to have a larger estate or SUV with flat-folding seats, then you can get long, double-sized version too.
12-volt adapters usually come with the air bed, or can be bought for a few dollars extra on sites like Amazon and eBay, where you’ll find the inflatable beds at good prices too. Slightly tacky? Yes. Big money saver? Also yes.
Written by Chris Davies – an award-winning motoring journalist writing for CarProductsTested.com
Images:
Handpresso Auto: Wicker Paradise on Flickr
Portable gas stove: Juhan Sonin on Flickr
Heated Travel Mug: Buy from eBay
Snow plow: Sarah J on Flickr
]]>With Christmas fast approaching, we wanted to let everyone know when we would be off enjoying our Christmas holidays. Our paint shop team do brilliant work all year round, so it’s only fair that they deserve a little bit of time off over the festive period (don’t we all?!)
For that reason, our paint shop will be shut over Christmas and New Year. The exact opening times, and last day for Christmas deliveries are:
December 18th – last day for guaranteed deliveries before Christmas Day in the UK (we’ll still dispatch orders until midday on the 24th December)
December 24th – paint shop and office closed from midday
December 25th – 3rd January – paint shop and office closed
January 4th – paint shop and office open
We will still accept all of your orders and process them as soon as we’re back in action on the 4th January. If you urgently need your paint, make sure you take advantage of this pre-Christmas period; our team will be working flat out to make sure you all have everything you need to repair your car paint over the festive season, before they head off for some well deserved Christmas downtime!
To be certain that your Chipex paint will be with you before Christmas, please make sure you have placed your order by the 18th December.
]]>The Chipex paint chip repair system is a brilliant one. It is quick, simple and easy to use, and highly cost-effective in comparison to other chip repair systems too.
Your car’s bumper, bonnet and front wings can go from looking ugly from a road rash of stone chips, to looking sleek and fresh once more, thanks to the Chipex 100% colour-match guarantee.
Once you’ve repaired the paint chips though, there’s something else you can do further ensure than the chipped areas remain looking great for a long time to come. How? By using sealants and waxes after the job is complete.
Just washing your car normally isn’t really enough to keep that deep shine to the paintwork, and indeed washing it with the wrong type of products can actually diminish the look of the paintwork.
Alongside using the right type of car shampoo, it’s important to keep the paintwork protected from the elements using wax and sealant, and the same applies to the areas where you have repaired paint chips.
Often, you’ll see some of the older generation out there with a big ol’ bottle of traditional-type polish, scrubbing away for ages until their car is shiny again. But there are three points here. #1. Using traditional polish comdollars after each wash will slowly but surely wear away lacquer and the paint layers. #2.Those older polishes leave little to zero protection. #3. They’re labour-intensive, and the shine won’t last long at all anyway, thanks to point #2.
One final point, and that is the polish could likely diminish the paint chip repair area if used too regularly.
Modern polishes come in a variety of comdollars (light, medium, heavy), for removing varying degrees of scratches, and some will even offer a degree of protection too.
However, once you’ve polished the chip repair areas, there’s a lot to be said of protecting those areas with specific products, to both protect the paint finish and also to enable the repair to last even longer. These products are car wax and sealants.
While polish removes and/or hides fine scratches in the paint, a wax or sealant then puts a protective layer over the top of the paintwork (and in this case the paint chip repairs), which will help maintain that high shine, and also gives extra longevity to the repair.
A good quality paint sealant will use nanotechnology to bond directly and strongly to the paintwork, adding an invisible layer of protection, and will often last six to twelve months without issue (providing you use the right car shampoo to maintain it).
Sealants can vary hugely in the level of expertise needed to apply them. Some require a professional to apply the products, which will require a high level of paint preparation beforehand, then certain techniques applying the sealant, and then 24 – 48 hours curing time. These types of sealants can last up to an incredible two years, if cared for correctly afterwards.
Other sealants can be quick and easy to apply, require less preparation and curing time, and still last a good six months or so.
Sealants are perfect to overlay stone chip repairs with, as it will further strengthen the repair area, and keep unwanted industrial and natural fallout from perforating the paint.
A wax will offer a great depth of shine, but it won’t bond to the paintwork as strongly as a sealant will, and the longevity of a wax can vary massively, from a few weeks to several months. The bonus of a wax is that a lot can be quickly and easily applied to add extra shine and protection.
If you want the best of both worlds, you can apply a sealant, and then after it’s fully cured, use a wax to add a depth of shine and extra longevity to the sealant.
Using these products will not only protect your paintwork from the harsh winter weather and road salt which we have to look forward to, but also protect those areas where you have used your Chipex paint repair system.
Keep an eye on the Chipex shop, as there will be new products appearing soon!
Written by Chris Davies – an award-winning motoring journalist writing for CarProductsTested.com
Photo credit: “1950 Custom Carry-All 1 of 4 Survivors”. Flickr – Bill McChesney
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Let’s face it, the past couple of winters in the UK consisted of mainly overcast, slightly chilly and rainy/sleeting days with the occasional short-lived flurry of snow. Heck, even the weather casters couldn’t do the whole massive over-hype reports, because there simply wasn’t anything to hype!
For those who paid to have winter tyres fitted, the lack of physical need for them must have been quite frustrating, as it would have been for all the tyre centres who stocked up on them in the hope there’d be blizzards and freezing temperatures.
In countries such as Norway, Austria, Finland and others, snowy winters are almost always guaranteed to land and end at certain times, and as such winter tyres are well worth the investment.
For us UK-dwellers, having winter-specific tyres just sitting around in the garage is a costly gamble, especially if you change your car every few years, (and for two of those there’s no real need for them), so are they worth the investment? More on that answered further down.
It’s a difficult one for sure. Does the next winter have in store for us some unexpected ‘big freeze’ that all the rag papers like to bandy about before each wintertime (and mostly be completely wrong), or just a couple of months of sleet and above zero temperates?
Let’s look at it this way; if you tend to buy a car and keep it a good few years, I would look to invest in a set of steel wheels and winter tyres.
If the past shows anything, Britain can get some fairly horrific winters, and you’ll still need to get to work, to the shops to buy the necessities, or even just to get out to stop yourself getting cabin fever after being stuck in for weeks on end.
Take, for example, the winter that happened just after World War II. In 1947, the whole of the UK got snow for 55 days straight, with the temperature dropping to -21˚C (without factoring in the windchill).
1963 saw the coldest winter in more than two hundred years, with costal parts of the UK becoming so cold the sea froze over. There were snowdrifts up to six metres deep, a low of -22.2˚C in Scotland, and livestock perishing due to farmers not being able to reach them.
More recently, the winter season of 2009/10 was the worst in thirty years, throwing at us particularly severe weather, with a recorded low of -18˚C recorded in Oxfordshire, and nineteen inches of snow falling in parts of Scotland, and the map of Britain showing it as entirely white on regular weather reports.
So, without scaremongering in any way, these bad winters do happen to us, and a set of properly grippy winter tyres will help massively should that type of winter occur.
For a lot of us, having that spare set of winter tyres sat around for nine or ten months of the year is a luxury. So, is it better to simply fit all-season tyres and run those year-round? After all, the price of them is similar to a set of normal summer tyres anyway.
Well, traditionally all-season and winter tyres work better in the cold (below 7˚C) anyway, but there’s generally a big difference in performance between winter and all-season tyres should the snow and ice hit.
Take this video as an example of the differences in acceleration, stopping and cornering.
https://youtu.be/JGfvyPtYR0Y
Let’s face it, the past couple of winters in the UK consisted of mainly overcast, slightly chilly and rainy/sleeting days with the occasional short-lived flurry of snow. Heck, even the weather casters couldn’t do the whole massive over-hype reports, because there simply wasn’t anything to hype!
For those who paid to have winter tyres fitted, the lack of physical need for them must have been quite frustrating, as it would have been for all the tyre centres who stocked up on them in the hope there’d be blizzards and freezing temperatures.
In countries such as Norway, Austria, Finland and others, snowy winters are almost always guaranteed to land and end at certain times, and as such winter tyres are well worth the investment.
For us UK-dwellers, having winter-specific tyres just sitting around in the garage is a costly gamble, especially if you change your car every few years, (and for two of those there’s no real need for them), so are they worth the investment? More on that answered further down.
It’s a difficult one for sure. Does the next winter have in store for us some unexpected ‘big freeze’ that all the rag papers like to bandy about before each wintertime (and mostly be completely wrong), or just a couple of months of sleet and above zero temperates?
Let’s look at it this way; if you tend to buy a car and keep it a good few years, I would look to invest in a set of steel wheels and winter tyres.
If the past shows anything, Britain can get some fairly horrific winters, and you’ll still need to get to work, to the shops to buy the necessities, or even just to get out to stop yourself getting cabin fever after being stuck in for weeks on end.
Take, for example, the winter that happened just after World War II. In 1947, the whole of the UK got snow for 55 days straight, with the temperature dropping to -21˚C (without factoring in the windchill).
1963 saw the coldest winter in more than two hundred years, with costal parts of the UK becoming so cold the sea froze over. There were snowdrifts up to six metres deep, a low of -22.2˚C in Scotland, and livestock perishing due to farmers not being able to reach them.
More recently, the winter season of 2009/10 was the worst in thirty years, throwing at us particularly severe weather, with a recorded low of -18˚C recorded in Oxfordshire, and nineteen inches of snow falling in parts of Scotland, and the map of Britain showing it as entirely white on regular weather reports.
So, without scaremongering in any way, these bad winters do happen to us, and a set of properly grippy winter tyres will help massively should that type of winter occur.
For a lot of us, having that spare set of winter tyres sat around for nine or ten months of the year is a luxury. So, is it better to simply fit all-season tyres and run those year-round? After all, the price of them is similar to a set of normal summer tyres anyway.
Well, traditionally all-season and winter tyres work better in the cold (below 7˚C) anyway, but there’s generally a big difference in performance between winter and all-season tyres should the snow and ice hit.
Take this video as an example of the differences in acceleration, stopping and cornering.
As mentioned earlier, if we don’t get a bad winter, it’s a bitter pill to swallow if nothing much happened in the way of bad weather, and you’ve had winter tyres fitted specifically and are just wasting rubber on dry roads.
However, it may not be as expensive as you’d think to buy a set of steel wheels and winter tyres, which you could then simply fit yourself if the weather did turn nasty.
As an example, you can buy a set of brand new steel wheels (to save your nice alloys from all that harsh road salt and getting dinged against kerbs should you slide), for something like an Audi A4/A6 for around £30 – £35.00 per wheel, while a vehicle dismantler/breakers may sell you a full set of decent second-hand ones for around £25.00.
Tyre fitment to the steel rims can be £10.00 upwards including balancing and inflation valves.
Online tyre retailers often sell winter rubber cheap coming up to the season, so get in early for a better cost. Get them at the right time, and you can save a fortune with big discounts, and there are good makes such as Bridgestone, Pirelli and Michelin selling from as little as £38.00 – £50.00 per tyre if you start at 15″ versions.
However, the price goes up with the tyre size, and you can start to pay from around £100.00 per tyre for something like an 18″ rim.
So, let’s count the cost. For a cheap set of second-hand steelies and good quality 15″ winter tyres, you’re looking at around £225.00.
For a set of new steel wheels with a 18″ winter tyres, you could be looking to start at £580.00 all done.
You could also save money and simply have the winter tyres fitted directly to your alloy wheels if you’re brave, which would knock a chunk of the total. But it could also be false economy if there’s no cold weather and you’re wearing them down for no reason.
Oh, and on more point. Just because you’ve got a 4×4 or AWD vehicle, they can be almost as useless as a 2-wheel-drive car if you’ve only got standard summer road tyres on. And as a lot are heavier than a normal car, they’re like a hippo on roller skates.
Yes, if you’re in these situations:
No, for these reasons:
If you can’t afford to buy the full winter tyres, but still want to get about to the local shops or work, there are alternatives that can be fitted to tyres in the form of Snow Socks or Tyre Chains.
These vary in quality and price, but as long as you’re not going far and the main roads are clear, these are a great alternative to winter rubber being fitted.
Written by Chris Davies – an award-winning motoring journalist writing for CarProductsTested.com
Photo Credits: lmnop88a Ready to play (Winter tires on BMW); andrew prickett Happy Saturday (Winter road); Oregon Department of Transportation Traction Tires
]]>I hate it when this happens. You see a car for sale on the web within your price bracket. Checking the description, it all looks great. There’s plenty of service history, a long MOT to run, and the previous ones to go with it, plus a folder full of receipts.
As you flick through the images, the paintwork is gleaming (maybe they used a Chipex kit!), there are no dents or scratches to speak of, and the engine bay looks like you could eat off it. Awesome.
And then you come to the interior photos. How on earth are those leather seats so badly cracked, even torn in places? Is this simply a scam – they’ve just had it valeted before selling to make it look good, and never looked after it until that point? Well, a lot of the time that may not be the case – the fact is that a lot of owners just don’t know how to care for the leather seats and trim on their cars.
Simply put, leather needs care and attention. If not, it will dry out, go brittle, crack, and then those cracks get wider until the leather eventually tears in places.
A couple of factors don’t help here, starting with the worst; the sun. The sun emits UV rays, which fades leather, and its scorching heat will dry it out too.
Once the leather goes brittle, it loses its flexibility. To add to this, every time you push past the seat bolster and then sit on the seat, the now-brittle leather can’t flex or pull about like it should, and the stretching of the hide means it starts to crack and look nasty, before finally starting to rip in places.
Simply wiping over the leather seats and trim with a damp cloth to keep them clean won’t help at all, and the process will still happen.
There are several ways to help keep leather supple and looking good, and here are some ways to do that;
Keeping your car’s leather clean not only makes it look good, but it also prepares them for the protection stage. Here’s a list of some products and techniques for cleaning leather in a car;
Leather cleaning products
For ingrained dirt use a leather brush. A normal scrubbing brush is way too harsh for the leather, so you do need a specific one. A couple of good examples include:
Note: when using a leather brush, do not scrub hard at the leather, otherwise it could be damaged even further. Instead, use a gentle but consistent movement, alongside the products below.
Along with the leather brush, you should use a cleaner product to help lift the ingrained dirt away from the surface. If the surface is particularly grimy and oily, heavier duty ones are best. Cleaners include:
Once you’ve cleaned the leather thoroughly, it’s time to lay down some protection. There are different types of protective products, which include leather conditioners and sealants. A lot will protect from those damaging UV rays, which is important.
Note: Remember to always check the product description before applying it, as some are not suitable for certain types of leather.
Leather conditioners
Leather sealants
Using the above products you’ll have great looking leather trim and seating inside your car once more. Remember, firstly it’s best to use them before the leather starts to dry crack, or at least stop it before the problem becomes worse.
Not only does it make your interior look great, it also protects it to keep it looking that way, and importantly allows you to command a better resale value than others.
Written by Chris Davies – an award-winning motoring journalist writing for CarProductsTested.com
Photo credits: Ford Shelby Cobra GT500 Show Car, cmonville ; Cracked leather car seat, Tobias Toft; Porsche car seats, Bryn Pinzgauer;
]]>As Autumn deepens, rains become more frequent and the temperature starts to drop as we inevitably head towards wintertime.
With the cold and damp comes an annoyance for drivers; a misted-up windscreen. Yes, it’s surprising how something so seemingly inconsequential can exasperate us so much!
ump in your car ready, already late for work, and from the moment you turn the key, the windscreen mists over like some giant has just breathed all over it. This is because the temperature of your body has instantly warmed the car just enough for that cold glass to react to the heat.
Sometimes it seems like it takes an age to clear, and even wiping it over with a cloth does very little, and it soon returns. So, what’s the answer? Below, I’ll discuss both how to demist your windscreen quickly, and what products are best to use, and what not to do…
Note: before setting off, make sure your windscreen is clear of condensation. It is illegal to drive with impaired vision. The law states: “windscreens and windows MUST be kept clean and free from obstructions to vision”. If not, it can lead to to a fixed penalty fine of up to £2,500 and 3 points on your licence! Worth the few extra minutes waiting for the glass to clear? Nope.
Many drivers are simply not ready for when the colder weather hits, and you’ll often see some of these cardinal sins being committed both at a standstill and, stupidly, whilst driving.
If you car is a bit older or a more basic spec and it doesn’t have climate control or air con, it often takes a good long while for the glass to clear, as you’re basically then using just heat to try to dry out the moisture, and you’ll likely need the help of another product if you actually want to get anywhere that day. As per the first point though, make sure to aim all airflow at the glass to help things along.
The main thing here is to stay safe as winter approaches and your glass starts to mist on an almost daily-basis. Hopefully, by avoiding some of the bad habits, and using the above products, you time de-misting your screen will be cut dramatically, and you’ll have an easier and less stressful drive ahead of you.
Written by Chris Davies – an award-winning motoring journalist writing for CarProductsTested.com
Photo credits: Malinaccier, Fogged up screen; Reuben Whitehouse, de-misting windscreen; Ultimate Finish, Gyeon Q2 AntiFog kit.
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Find about all of the races, events and triathlons our CEO took on in 2015…
A double length marathon to kick off the New Year!
The Country to Capital starts of near Wendover and takes you on a cross country route that eventually joins up with the Grand Union Canal and all the way into the welcoming site of Little Venice.
Two back-to-back days of racing though the lovely Surrey countryside.
This out and back two day 66 mile Ultra takes you across the hilly North Downs and the tiring second day always seems to get easier and faster the closer you get to the finish!
A shorter race than usual – but by no means less challenging!
The Bath Half is a busy race with lots of competitors through the hilly Bath streets.
One of the most difficult races of our CEO’s life, and one that nearly pushed him over the limit.
Our CEO’s comments on this race? “Well, it’s about as tough as it gets, unless you enjoy sleeping in a fire pit”. That says it all, really! Definitely one of the most difficult races in the world, only the strongest are willing to put themselves through this crazy test of endurance. It’s 6 consecutive days of running, with participants covering around a marathon a day in temperatures of 50c. That is until Day 4, when they throw in a 60-mile ultra marathon, just in case the runners aren’t quite feeling pushed to the limit!
In fact, this ultra marathon actually caused a major issue from our CEO, who suffered badly from dehydration and had a fit on mile 53. Due to the serious nature of the issue, doctors pulled him out of the race for 8 hours to recover. Until this point he had been consistently breezing through, and was even in the top 5% of runners. He didn’t let this scary incident put him off though, getting back on the road at first light to finish the stage.
The amazing crowd support got our CEO through this intense, long distance triathlon.
Roth is one of the most Iconic full distance Ironman races in the world held in the stunning scenery of Bavaria. Always oversubscribed every year and extremely difficult to get a place. The standard 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26.2 mile marathon apply and with around 300,000 spectators cheering you on, it makes for an amazing day!
102 miles non stop.
This amazing race is real test of endurance and resolve along the 102 mile Cotswold Way, which starts at Chipping Campden and ends at Bath Cathedral with over 12,000 feet of elevation over the course. The scenery and picture postcard villages are superb, however this was not to be my day, as fractured toe I was running on pulled me out of the race. Next Year then!
]]>Plenty of cars, both old and newer models, suffer from the exterior trim looking faded and tired – the original rich black of the plastic and rubber stripped away from the bumpers, door handles, side mirror casings, windscreen cowling and more, until it’s a dull, matte shade of grey, or worse it’s beginning to crack.
Often, you’ll see cars driving about that have a deep gloss to the paintwork, and it’s clearly looked after in that way, but the external trim has lost its depth and looks bleached
But why does car trim fade and/or crack? Sometimes it’s because of the powerful UV rays from strong sunlight, or it can also be from washing the car regularly with strong detergents instead of proper car wash, but in all cases it’s simply because the rubber and plastic trim parts haven’t had protective products applied regularly enough to stop the damage from the sun’s UV rays.
I’ve seen people using all sorts to try to put the black back into their car’s trim parts: cooking oil, used engine oil, the other half’s expensive body oil (best not let them find out!) and more.
While these types of products may look like they’ve temporarily brought back a depth to the trim, there are drawbacks: it’s messy to use and other people won’t thank you when they brush past in their best clothes, it makes the car smell, will attract insects if you use cooking oil, and there’s also no UV-filtration qualities in them, meaning it’s just a temporary ‘fix’.
Faded rubber seals are brought back to deep black with trim restoration product.
A lot of the time, if you visit your local motoring store they’ll sell the type of products that are packed with silicone, which leave an unnatural bright shine to the bumpers etc, and they also have a tendency to leave a horrible, sticky finish behind, which not only comes off when you brush against it, but it also washes off easily and streaks when it next rains. Not a good look, and you’re definitely best using good quality products.
Firstly, as the saying goes ‘prevention is better than cure’. If you have a new car, don’t think it won’t fade – it will, so get some trim dressings laid down on all parts before it starts happening.
Plastic part way through trim restoring treatment.
If you’ve been washing your car with detergents such as washing up liquid, stop doing that immediately and use some proper car wash shampoo, as I wrote about. If your trim hasn’t been touched for a while, and perhaps has ingrained grime or moss on it, give it a good clean using a pressure washer, and then use a product to strip out all the dirt, readying it for the trim product..
Next, it’s about looking for some good quality trim restore or trim protect products. Here’s the thing; if your car’s trim is badly faded already, the average ‘trim black’ product will barely make a difference to how it looks, and you’ll just be wasting your money, so you’ll need specific car trim restoration products for that.
If you just want to protect and take your rubber and plastic trim back to being a lovely dark black, there are other easy-to-use products that aren’t quite as involving as the restoration versions, but below I’ll take you through both.
Note: don’t just visit your local motoring store, get online and check out the products available as you get a much better choice and better quality products generally.
Rubber bumper being restored with trim treatment.
Remember folks, don’t be put off by the price. If these cost more than the ones in your motoring store down the road, it’s for a reason – they actually work well, and are high quality. You get what you pay for, in other words.
Solution Finish Black Trim Restorer
Autoglym Bumper and Trim Gel
Gtechniq C4 Permanent Trim Restorer
Nanolex Trim Rejuvenator
Swissvax Seal Feed (rubber trim only product)
Koch-Chemie Nano Magic Plastic Care
Britemax Rubber Max (suitable for plastic & rubber trim)
Meguiar’s Ultimate Black Trim Sponges
Meguiar’s Supreme Shine Protect
By regularly using some of the above products, your car’s exterior plastic and rubber trim will not only look great, but will be well protected from ugly fading and cracking.
Remember, it’s absolutely worth spending a little more, as it keeps you from having to spend money on parts in the future, and it also adds value to the car when it comes to selling it. All good, then.
Written by Chris Davies – an award-winning motoring journalist writing for CarProductsTested.com
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Does your car interior smell bad? Perhaps you’re wondering why it does, and how to get to back to it being fresh again. Here are a few reasons why that might be so, and what to do a about it.
Let’s go through the obvious stuff first. If you’ve not cleaned your car’s cabin for a long while, naturally it will start to gather dust and grime. The more regularly you drive your vehicle, the dustier it’ll be.
Even if you give the dash and centre console a wipe over, it’s the hidden stuff that create the musty smell; crumbs from food down the side of the seats and centre console which then go rotten, perhaps coffee that was spilt and never cleaned properly – the milk in it then sours, then there’s the stuff you’ve trodden onto your mats from the street walking to your car; chewing gum, traces of dog dirt, spilt food etc, and there’s also the mess under the mats you rarely see.
Whether you have leather or fabric seats in your car, they still get dirty, and after you’ve been sat on benches, restaurant chairs or perhaps a wall, that’s then transferred to your vehicle’s seats. Over time this builds layers, and even if you can’t see them it’s still there, and just like clothing, if you don’t clean them they get smelly. We’ll tackle cleaning seats properly in another article.
Another stinky area is the boot (or trunk) of the car. This is a heavy-use area, and especially so if you have a family. Just think of the stuff that gets goes in there; your dog after a walk, sweaty sports shoes, food from shopping, all the old stuff from a trip to the landfill site, drinks bottles and cartons that may have spilt their contents at one time.
I find it absolutely hilarious that people will keep their houses and the exterior of their car immaculate, but then you get in their car and you may as well by sitting in a rubbish tip; litter on the floor, crumbs in the footwells, thick dust on all the surfaces and smeared windows. It’s not exactly going to smell of roses now, is it? Oh, and that chemical-soaked scent thing you’ve got hanging from your rear view mirror – that’s only lightly masking the stink.
It all adds up to a car interior that ends up smelling a bit like an unwashed sock. So, what’s the answer to ridding your car of unwanted smells?
First off: clean the damn thing regularly!
It may seem obvious, but most of us are guilty of leaving it for months on end before giving our car’s cabin a good clean. I’ll tackle how to do this fully in another article, but the basics of cleaning are:
Briefly – as I’ll cover this in another article – leather or fabric, your seats need a good clean every so often. If you can’t take the car to a valeter to have them done, there are lots of products out there to do the job yourself. If you have really dirty fabric seats though, and you’ve not got a wet & dry vacuum, I recommend using a detailer or valeter to do the job.
There are plenty of products available to clean both leather and fabric seats, and you’ll often find these are nicely scented too.
Bad smells or odours in a car can be easy or hard to shift. Sometimes, a thorough clean of the car will freshen things up, and there might not be a problem. If you’ve cleaned it and want something to keep the interior smelling nice, I’d recommend using a hanging air freshener like this or this, or a compressed air freshener spray like this one.
If you’re using a spray, take out the mats and spray those, spray the carpets they sit on, under the seats and in the boot/trunk.
However, some smells may be more stubborn or permanent. This could be from spilt milk or food that’s now ingrained into the fibres of the carpets and seats, or perhaps water that has leaked into the vehicle in the past from seals that have failed.
For these sorts of problems, there are some brilliant products out there that kill the bacteria permanently, such as Valet Pro Enzyme Odour Eater, Autoglym Odour Eliminator, Odor Aid and ones such as these.
Hopefully, after you’ve done the above, you’ll have a car interior that’s clean and fresh as new!
Photo credits: Dirty interior, Michael Theis; Clean Porsche car seats (2 photos) Bryn Pinzgauer; Really clean car interior – 2012 Lexus RX270 interior, NRMA Motoring and Services;
Written by Chris Davies – an award-winning motoring journalist writing for CarProductsTested.com
]]>Bug splats are an absolute nightmare to those of us who like to keep our car’s as clean as possible. Why? Because they’re an absolute pain in the backside to remove!
One warm evening in summer, a friend I was dropping off after a day out told me to take the scenic route home. They were right, the scenery was fantastic; an awesome sunset, empty stretches of tree-lined roads, lined by rock walls set in the beauty of true Yorkshire landscape.
Fantastic. But I’ll not take that route again in summertime. While I was driving, I could hear what sounded like raindrops on the windscreen, but there was no water there. As I rounded a corner, the sun sitting low and cutting through the trees, it lit up swarms of thousands of insects hovering in the air, right at car height – and I was driving through them!
I slowed down immediately, but by that point the damage was done. Getting out the car at my friend’s house, I was greeted with a horrific view; hundreds and hundreds of dead bug carcasses and guts splattered across the entirety of the front of the car and windscreen – a flying insect apocalypse, no less. Thank you dear friend, for your ‘scenic route’ home.
Now though, you have to remove those bug guts. Often, they’re so sticky that simply washing the car barely touches them, and you just end up with a sore elbow from scrubbing away for ages.
The trouble is, the bug guts bond to the paintwork, and if you just leave them there they won’t just come off over time, as you might hope.
First off – what you should NOT do and use to remove bug splats
If you use the wrong methods or products for removing those pesky bug guts off your paintwork and plastic/rubber trim you’re going to damage the area, and ruin the look of your car.
As bad as the stuff below seems, I’ve actually seen these used, and detailing forums are full of horror stories of the aftermath of them.
Right, that’s those done. Now here’s the right things to do, and the correct products to use.
Preparing the area for product application
Bug removal products
There are literally dozens and dozens of bug removal products out there, but obviously some are better than others. UltimateFinish.co.uk has a large selection of good quality bug, tar and tree sap removers, so take a look there.
As well as spray versions, there are also automotive wipes designed to make removing bug splats (and more) easy work, and these are a good option as you can simply keep them in the car, plus there’s no fuss or mess either.
If you’re trying to remove bug splatter from glass, sometimes glass cleaner isn’t enough, or it’ll take forever to remove them, so it’s probably best to go with the bug removers you’ll use on the paintwork. Always check the manufacturer’s description to see what surfaces you can use them on though.
After you’ve finished using these products, some may require you to wash the area where you’ve used them. Always check the label or description to find this out.
Hopefully, the next time a million bugs decide to attack your car, you’ll have the stuff ready to do the job of removing them safely and quickly.
Written by Chris Davies – an award-winning motoring journalist writing for CarProductsTested.com
Photo credits: Bug splats Tam; Snow Foam Ultimate Finish; Wash mitt Jamie Manktelow
]]>With Autumn here, and Winter to follow, the sun starts to sink lower in the sky, and as that happens, driving in heavy traffic becomes difficult and dangerous.
A good pair of sunglasses help hugely, but something that’ll aid your visibility further is have a clean windscreen. Trying to see ahead is ridiculously hard when you have a treacherous combination of that low-lying sun – which always sits in the low position at rush-hour – a screen covered in smeared bug guts and general greasy road grime such as diesel and ice-melting salt, and the inside of the glass being dirty, and you’ve got a recipe for a car crash.
It’s even worse if it rains and then the sun comes out again, as it’s now not on sitting at a direct eye level, but it’s also bouncing it off the road, through your dirty windscreen and dazzling you so much it’s painful.
So, what can you do to help make vision through your windscreen better at this time of year?
If the rubber of your wipers are nicked (cut) in places, then they’ll not clean the glass properly, and will leave annoying streak marks across it. This impedes vision, and doesn’t help with glare.
Second, clean the inside of your screen.
If you’ve not done this in a while, you’ll be surprised by just how much horrible grime will appear on the cloth once you have. Cleaning not only allows much better vision (obviously), but it also aids in the screen not misting up as easily when the temperature drops.
What products should I use to clean interior car glass?
I’ve tried lots of car-specific glass cleaners, but honestly, the non-smear household stuff is almost always as good. I’ve found that using thick kitchen roll works well as it’s really absorbent and effective at pulling away the grime instead of pushing it about.
Thirdly, clean the exterior of the windscreen.
This is very important, and if the road grime has built up over time, there’s more too it than simply giving the glass a quick once over with the sponge and dirty water in a bucket from your local garage. Cold water does not clean diesel and oily deposits, and a sponge will barely touch the bug splats.
What products should I use to clean exterior car glass?
Using glass cleaner alone (the stuff you used on the inside) usually isn’t enough. It won’t cut through the heavier stuff such like the aforementioned oily deposits and smeared sticky bug splats very well, so there’s a couple of products you can use.
Before using these though, give the glass a clean using washing up detergent (Fairy, Stardrops etc) in hot water, and a microfibre wash mitt. I normally don’t recommend this – certainly on bodywork – but they are highly effective at their job: cleaning away heavy grime build-up.
Next, car glass polish is readily available from good car valeting/detailing stores, and this is used to cut through the grime quickly and effectively, leaving a completely clean screen. I find it best to use a normal glass cleaner to finish off the job and remove any polish excess polish residue.
“What’s one of those”, you may be asking. It’s as it sounds; the product will chemically react with the glass surface, bonding to it to create a strong but invisible layer of protection. This means the glass is now hydrophobic, and water will sheet (slide) off the glass almost as soon as it touches it. As the car speeds up, the more effectively the rain clears, and weirdly the heavier the rain the more effective it is – so much so that you barely need to use your wipers.
Glass sealant also means that bug splats are far more easily removed, and road grime will be wiped away without trouble. A decent glass sealant should last for a good few months, so reapplication won’t be necessary very often.
After you’ve accomplished all of these steps, the glare should be much less severe than on a dirty windscreen, and it’ll ensure that vision through it when it rains heavily will be so much better.
The end result? A safer and far less stressful drive for you. For independent glass cleaner and sealant reviews, please visit CarProductsTested.com
Written by Chris Davies – an award-winning motoring journalist writing for CarProductsTested.com
Photo credits: Sun Glare Demi-Brooke; Windscreen wipers Charlie Brewer; windscreen wiper and rain Tina Franklin, Driving Robert Couse-Baker
]]>Keeping your paintwork looking fresh, clean and with a super depth of shine is great, but I’ve often come across cars at meets and shows where the paint looks amazing, but the wheels simply haven’t been looked after.
People tend to forget that wheels often get way dirtier than paintwork, and they’re often not cleaned as well, as it’s time-consuming getting around every spoke, into the wheel nut holes, and making sure any design indentation are thoroughly clean.
The problem is that wheels are constantly attacked by not just road grime, but something far worse: brake dust. The tiny metal particles settle onto the wheels, and then embed themselves into the lacquer, leading to permanently ingrained black dust and tiny bits of rust, which if left can eat away at the finish, and start to lift/bubble paint, or ruin a polished/chrome finished.
To right this by having your wheels refurbished or replacing them altogether, is not a cheap job at all, especially if they’re especially nice ones to begin with.
You have to be very careful with which products you use on certain wheels. If you have polished, chrome or split-rim wheels, acidic wheel cleaners will easily damage them, often permanently.
So, for split-rim, chrome and polished wheels you need to use a safe acid and Alkaline-free cleaner. Plenty are available, and you may be lucky and find one in your local motoring store, but usually it’s best to have a look online for specialist sellers.
As well as wheel cleaners, you can now buy colour-changing cleaners that ingeniously remove iron fallout (which is present heavily in brake dust), and show what it’s removing at the same time, by changing colours. These products react with the iron particles, and pull them out from the lacquer and paintwork. The drawback is that most of these products stink to high heaven (a sulphur-like smell), although some do mask it with added scents.
After using a wheel cleaner, I recommend also cleaning the wheels with wax-friendly car shampoo, to ensure all traces of the cleaner are gone.
If you have chrome or polished wheels, I’d recommend using either a soft wheel brush (some bristles are stiffer than others), or a microfibre wash mitt for cleaning, as using a heavy-duty wheel brush will likely leave fine scratches behind.
Some wheels, like ones above, require a little more regular care and cleaning than others, so if you’re using the car regularly – and especially for motorway journeys – this is even more so the case.
However, even with other types of alloy wheels, don’t just leave cleaning them until you see a thick layer of brake dust appear. It’s far easier, quicker and better for your wheels to clean them as soon as a light layer of brake dust or road grime is seen, and if you can be bothered, clean them every week if you’ve been driving the car daily.
If you clean your wheels fairly regularly, and they’re in good condition, there’s usually no need to use a specific wheel cleaner. Instead, a wax-friendly car shampoo and wash mitt will suffice. Tip: use a separate wash mitt for cleaning car bodywork to your wheels. Much safer.
Regularly cleaning your vehicle’s rims is a good way to maintain the look of them, but you can easily protect them from road grime and brake dust in a much better way, by using wheel sealant and car wax. Specialist wheel versions of these are available online – try this website for a good selection.
Just like paintwork, your wheels need a layer of protection added, in order to keep them looking great and from becoming as easily contaminated.
If you want the ultimate in protection, after cleaning your wheels, apply a layer of sealant, and then add a layer or two of wax on top of that, for an ultra-deep shine and months of protection as well. You should absolutely do this even if the car or wheels are brand-new!
After this, cleaning your wheels will be a much less difficult job, as the brake dust and grime can’t stick to or embed itself as easily, and will come off almost effortlessly the next time you come to clean them.
If you’d like to read a step-by-step guide (with images) on how to clean your wheels, please visit this page.
Written by Chris Davies – an award-winning motoring journalist writing for CarProductsTested.com
Photo credits:
BossiWashing the Saab
Stephen Hennessey White wheels on a Daytona Blue 350Z
Jeff Wilcox BMW Alloy wheel
]]>On more than a few occasions, I’ve winced as I see people squirt a load of washing up liquid into a bucket, fill it with warm water, watch as suds galore overflow, soak a sponge and begin to scrub away gleeful as their car goes from dirty to clean.
Why wince though, you say! After all, they’re doing good keeping their car looking shiny, right? Well, yes and no
Firstly, let’s tackle using why washing up liquid is bad for your car’s paintwork. Fairy, Stardrops, Persil and other brands you can think of, are designed to clean dishes and pots and pans, soaking through stuck-on food effectively in order to make removing them easy, and leaving the items shiny. And at this they’re obviously very good.
So, that’s good for your car, right? Actually, no. Washing up products contain detergents, which clean very well, but they also strip away (or badly diminish) the life of any polish, wax or sealants you’ve applied to the paintwork.
An example of this: if you wash the dishes using liquid detergents, afterwards your hands feel dry, and if used regularly the skin begins to crack (painfully) through lack of moisture. This is because the detergents strip away the natural moisture in your skin, and you then have to use hand cream to help replenish and repair the dry areas.
It’s the same with using washing up liquid on cars. After washing up detergents have stripped away any protective layers on the paint and exterior trim, they are then far more susceptible to the colour fading. Never a good look.
They also usually contain salt, which will absolutely worsen any rust spots your car may have!
Paintwork damage to your car is something you always want to make sure you avoid – that’s what Chipex touch up kits were made for! So you always want to be certain that however you’re washing your car, you’re not weakening the paint.
So, what should you use to wash you car? As with almost every product available, there are different ends of the market for car shampoo.
At one end, there are the ones you can buy from most auto stores, which are just a few quid for around 3 litres or so, where you can just dump a load in a bucket, get a load of foam going, and they do the job fairly decently.
At the other end of the market are the higher-priced ones. But there’s always a reason for the price with these types of car shampoos. Often, a buyer will compare the two side-by-side and reason ‘I can get a big tub for a few dollars, so why buy 500ml for for £10?’.
And fair enough – if you’re only looking at the quantity. However, it’s often the case that the 500ml product has such a high dilution rate (they will usually tell you this on the label), that you’ll actually need far less product per bucket of water than the cheaper product, and in the end the cost is pretty much offset.
Also factor into this though, that the higher-priced car shampoo contains lots of ingredients that’ll do more than just clean and add shine. For instance, they will be pH-neutral, which means they are non-acidic and are alkaline-free, therefore being safe for paintwork, in not making rusting worst, and will not remove/diminish any wax or sealant you may have already applied to the paintwork, whereas the cheaper ones may not have this benefit.
A good quality car shampoo can also contain wax, which not only brings a depth of shine to the paintwork, but also protects and adds longevity to any protection you’ve previously applied to the paint and glass, i.e. wax or sealant.
Car shampoos are now becoming high-tech too. As an example, Nanolex are a company who specialise in creating car detailing products which work on a molecular level, using nano-technology.
Nanolex created a re-activating car shampoo, which ‘forms a chemical and molecular bond with previously-applied protective layers [of sealant] and refreshes them’. They also sell the same for Matte paintwork – which is normally exceptionally difficult to maintain.
Quite incredible, and it can only be great for us car owners as this technology filters down to other car shampoos too, allowing us wash our cars safe in the knowledge we’re actually doing them good when removing that road grime!
Of course, there are many other high quality car shampoos out there, and rather than just going for the big manufacturers, why not take a look at the smaller ones too, as they often make great products and sell them at a surprisingly reasonable price, considering the amount of time and energy that goes into developing a car shampoo.
So, rather than grabbing the nearest bottle of washing up liquid in the cupboard, take a few minutes to choose and buy a good car shampoo, and your car will benefit hugely both in the long and short term. This way, at least you’ll know any paint chips you need to touch up aren’t from your cleaning skills!
If you’d like to read some independent reviews of car shampoos, please visit this website.
Written by Chris Davies – an award-winning motoring journalist writing for CarProductsTested.com
Image licence from Envato/Photodune.
]]>Here on the Chipex blog, we often refer to ‘road rash’ when we’re talking about car paint chips and what causes them. If you haven’t been afflicted by car paint chips very much (lucky you!) maybe you’re not totally sure what we mean by the term road rash. We thought it would be a good idea to clear up what we mean when we talk about road rash, and the effect it can have on your car’s paintwork.
Road rash is the term used to describe the scratches and markings that spoil your car’s paintwork around the tyres and bumper. Caused by the gravel, small stones and other debris that is found on all types of road, it leads to nasty looking chips, scratches and peeling on this area of your car’s paintwork.
This photo shows a ‘before and after’ of how it makes paintwork look before it’s repaired:
As it’s a problem that affects a particular area of your paintwork, and makes it look far from its best, it’s known affectionately (not!) as road rash.
How does road rash affect your car?
You may have thought you didn’t know what road rash was, but after seeing that photo, you’ve probably realised it’s more common than you thought. It affects tons of vehicles, and while it doesn’t have a major effect on the performance of your car, it’s all about the way it looks. Road rash can seriously damage your paintwork, and if you’re proud and protective of your car it can be really frustrating.
How to avoid road rash
Short of never driving and keeping your car wrapped in cotton wool in your garage, it’s difficult to completely avoid road rash. While general chips and scratches can be more easily avoided with a bit of careful driving, road rash is caused purely by the paintwork proximity to the ground – and it’s not as if you can move your tyres to another position to stop it happening.
As long as your car is coming into contact with the road, there will, unfortunately, always be a chance of road rash occurring.
How can I solve road rash?
If your car has been affected by road rash, it may seem like the only solution is to regularly take it to be professionally resprayed – this is expensive and time consuming. A quicker, easier and more cost effective way to treat road rash is to do it yourself with a Chipex kit. They leave your paintwork looking so shiny and new, our reviews have said you can’t tell where the original scratches were – they’re that good.
Cut out the middleman, and cure your car of its road rash yourself – one of Chipex’s kits will have your paintwork looking back to its best in no time at all.
]]>Rust is the blight which effects cars around the world. If you’re fortunate enough to live in a warm, dry climate like California, it’s a much easier battle keeping it at bay. However, for those of us in the U.K. where the climate is perfect for honing those dark brown patches on your vehicle’s bodywork, it’s a real pain keeping it from worsening.
So, what causes rust on cars? In an interesting article from PopularMechanics.com, it states; ‘Rust is the layman’s term for the electrochemical breakdown of iron-based metals called oxidation. In this process surface molecules react with oxygen in the air and produce a new molecule, Fe2O3, otherwise known as iron oxide’.
Of course, some cars are more susceptible to rusting, especially older models which simply didn’t have the same oxidisation-prevention technology that goes into many of today’s modern cars, and it’s always best to visit owner’s website to see how the car your looking at fares over time.
So, what can be done to prevent rusting? Should you live in a climate near to the sea, or in a country where the lay salt in winter, these can massively impact on a car’s bodywork and chassis, so wash it regularly with high-quality car shampoo. If you’ve got a pressure-washer, give it a blast underneath too, as the chassis is just as susceptible as the bodywork to rust, if not more so.
]]>Spray painting stuff is fun – fact. It doesn’t matter what level you’re painting at, or what you’re actually spraying, it’s all good. If you’re a professional spray painter, and you’ve helped take a rusted-out classic back to looking like it just rolled out the factory doors for the first time 40 years ago, there must be absolutely immense satisfaction in that.
The same could be said of the crazy skills of the guys that paint life-like pictures onto bodywork using the airbrushing technique, or the amazingly steady hand of the single Coachline Painter who hand-paints the lines on Rolls-Royce cars – the privileged final job on the car before it exits production.
Or it could simply be painting a part of your car in your garage, perhaps you’ve scraped the wing mirror and want to respray it yourself, or touch up those nasty stone chips using the excellent Chipex paint touch-up repair system to bring your car back up to par.
The other week I spent a couple of hours stripping back, prepping and then respraying the drip tray from a Gaggia espresso maker which had bubbled due to water getting under the paint. The results were well worth it, and while I could have just purchased a new one, it was way more fulfilling doing the job myself, and I saved money in the process by using paint and tools I already had.
Respraying or painting in any form still needs something before it’ll happen though: the products to do the job! Finding an automotive paint supplier is easy, but it can also depend on the job in hand.
If I wanted to spray something usually unseen or that doesn’t need a paint match on my car, such as parts on the chassis or inner wheel arches for example, I’d take a trip to my local independent car part store, who always has the basics such as wet and dry grit paper, primer, cans of various spray paint colours, underbody spray etc.
If you’re spraying a part such as the aforementioned wing mirror, and want a perfect colour match, it’s best to visit a specialist with the paint code, who’ll not only supply all the gear you’ll need, but also (if they’re friendly) recommend the right grade of grit paper, how long to leave between each coat of paint and more.
However, specialists need a car paint supplier who will sell absolutely everything the professional will need, whether that’s online or a local store if you’re fortunate enough to have one nearby.
A good store supplying the professional sprayer and body repairer will have literally hundreds of products in stock, varying massively in price, quality and quantity, selling everything for the each stage of the job.
The amount of gear for each process needed is mind-boggling too, and the total job could involve cutters and grinders, fibreglass and fillers, masking film, sheets and tape, degreasers, paint stripper, paint activators and thinners, machine polishers, compressors, airlines and spray guns, machine polishers and various comdollars, polish and wax. And that’s just a few of the products a professional sprayer will have!
So, the next time you get a quote for your car wing to be resprayed and think it’s expensive or overpriced, just think of how much gear the repair shop will have had to buy to get up and running, and how much time and money they’ll have had to invest to be where they are. It’s definitely not as simple as you may think.
Written by Chris Davies – an award-winning motoring journalist writing for CarProductsTested.com
Photos licensed from Photo Dune.
]]>The car touch-up paint pen has its uses, certainly, but at the same time it’s always better to go with a more permanent and better fix for car paint chips and light scratches – the Chipex seamless car touch-up system. However, just because I’m writing this Chipex blog doesn’t mean I’m going to be entirely negative about the touch-up pen. Indeed, I’ve used them myself to good effect, so let’s go over both the positives and drawbacks of them.
Firstly though, what is a car touch-up paint pen? They vary, and there are the coloured paint type you can get from motoring stores, but in this case we’re talking about the type where you use the soft-tipped pen to draw across the scratch or chip. It dispenses a clear liquid onto the area, which then breaks up light and conceals the scratch.
The positives
The drawbacks
Why use the Chipex system over a touch-up pen?
All said, while the humble touch-up pen definitely has its place and use, the Chipex system is by far the better choice if you want a more permanent and flawless repair.
Written by Chris Davies – an award-winning motoring journalist writing for CarProductsTested.com
]]>
Stone chips are the blight of any car owner who regularly uses the motorway. Flung at already-high speeds, your car then hurtles towards these miniature rocks with impending doom. The loud ‘whack!’ as the stonehits the bodywork makes you cringe, and it’s guaranteed there’s now a tiny crater where it mashed itself into your car’s paintwork.
Whether you’ve collected a dozen of these or just one, they’re an ugly eyesore and they need repairing, as they can start to bubble out once water gets underneath the paint, and even rust if subject to harsh winter road salt and sub-zero conditions.
Some people opt for a respray job, but as I’ve written about in the past, they can usually be dealt with much more cheaply by using a Chipex car touch-up paint system.
Stone chip repair costs can be high with a respray, and it’s often an unnecessary thing to do, so let’s have a look how you can repair paint chips yourself, using a Chipex paint repair system and in just a few simple, quick and easy steps.
Chipex have outlets all around the world, so if you’re reading this from somewhere other than the U.K., simply go to this page to find your country’s Chipex supplier.
For your information, Chipex give a 100% paint match guarantee, and they can supply paint kits for a huge amount of different car makes. To find your car’s paint colour code, please use this page.
Next, order your Chipex kit in the size you require (12 or 24 chips, or the ‘heavily chipped’ kit) and wait eagerly by the door for the postie to deliver it.
Important: This product is not suitable for vehicles that have been recently painted, and it is recommended that you allow at least 1 month for the original vehicle paint to cure from time of painting.
How to repair paint stone chips using a Chipex kit
1. Clean the paint stone chips and surrounding area thoroughly. Make sure that you remove any sealant, wax or polish from the chip, using a paint-safe degreaser like these.
2. Put on the rubber gloves that come with the kit. These are actually used in the application of the paint.
3. Shake the paint Step 1 Paint bottle well, and then use the supplied Chipex paint applicator brush® to dab the paint onto the chipped areas. If the car has suffered ‘road rash’ (lots of small paint stone chips in one area), put the paint onto a fingertip of the glove, and smear evenly across the road rash, making sure they are all filled.
Note: drying time takes between 40 seconds and 5 minutes, depending on the ambient temperature and amount of paint you’ve applied.
4. Once the paint is dry to the touch, apply the supplied Step 2 Blending Solution to the paper cloth, and wipe across the painted areas with a light pressure – simply allowing the solution to do its job without any excess pressure. Allow a few minutes for the blending solution to dry before the next stage.
5. Take the Step 3 Finishing Polish, apply a small amount to a soft microfibre cloth and rub gently across the painted areas. Allow this to dry and haze, and then remove the haze with a clean area of the cloth.
Tips:
– For large or deep stone chips: repeat stages 3 and 4 of this guide in order to build up layers of paint, until the chip is filled properly
– Should you make a mistake, panic not! Simply use the Step 2 Blending Solution and start again. Easy.
– If the weather is cold, Chipex recommend using their chip repair system above (around 0˚C / 32˚F), in order to reduce the drying process.
If you’ve applied the Chipex system correctly, your stone chip repair should be a success, and you’ll hardly notice where the ugly marks had been. You’ve also protected the area from rust and bubbling – brilliant!
Before (left) and after (right) using Chipex – all the stone chips are gone.
Written by Chris Davies – an award-winning motoring journalist writing for CarProductsTested.com
]]>If you’re proud of your car, and those ugly paint chips up front are really starting to bug you, you’ll perhaps be thinking of having the bumper or bonnet resprayed.
Having your car resprayed though, no matter the section or part, is a pain for more reasons than one. First up, you have to take time out to get the valuation. That means darting out on a lunchtime at work, or going on a weekend when you’d really just like to be relaxing in front of the TV or spending time with family or friends.
Right, you’ve got your evaluation, and after a stiff drink to steady the nerves and having pushing your eyeballs back after they’d popped out, it’s time to breakdown costs.
Respraying prices vary massively, and they largely depend on how skilled the painter is (the better the reputation, the more they’ll usually charge), how thorough a job you want doing, and also where you go to have it done. If a manufacturer approved car dealership has their own booth, it will likely charge a lot because their hourly rate is high, and they have big overhead costs.
If it’s a crash-damage repairer, they’ll also usually charge you a large amounts, simply because they’re more interested in insurance jobs. If you go to an independent car resprayer, that’s usually your best bet for a cheaper price than those mentioned above.
Then there are various levels of car respraying, to go alongside the prices. A quick ‘flash over’ a panel will cost you a lot less than a proper job, where the panel and any trim is removed in order to get to every area thoroughly.
This of course takes time and therefore far more money taking into account labour costs. A lot of people forget that the actual paint itself can vary on price-per-litre too, so there’s that to bear in mind.
Going back to car respraying being a pain in the butt, you’ve got the quote from the sprayer, but they state if you remove the part yourself, it’ll cost less. Oh, and if you’ve got the means to prep the panel or part (as in rub it down with sandpaper, and flat away/fill any low or high spots) then that’ll be even cheaper.
That’s great – if you’ve got the skills, tools, time and indeed can really be bothered to do it.
After all this, you’ve now got to weigh up if it’s really worth spending hundreds or thousands on having the car parts sprayed. Can you really afford it, will it add much value to the car when it comes to selling time, and is it worth it if the area will only end up being badly stone-chipped or damaged again a few months down the line?
We’re talking about paint chips here, and that means the front bumper, bonnet and wings. Surely it’s too far gone for a touch-up kit? Or say if it’s a supercar, or something really valuable, like an rare classic? In both cases you’d perhaps think they could only be taken care of with a pricey spray job.
Well actually, the Chipex car touch-up paint system makes the unlikely possible. Well-respected detailing company The Ultimate Finish have used Chipex kits on some incredibly rare and extremely valuable cars, such as a 1960 Aston Martin DB4 and a 1963 Aston Martin DB5, plus supercars including a Audi R8 V10 and a Nero Daytona Black Ferrari 575M – all with amazingly good results.
Satisfied customers have sent in photographs of their nastily stone-chipped cars before and after, and regardless of the worth of the vehicle, the results are just as impressive.
Chipex offer a 100% paint match guarantee, and the kits make it really easy to do the job yourself.
The cost difference between the Chipex kit and a car respray is simply worlds apart too. A front bumper respray can cost £150 – £300 and upwards, depending on the make, model or paint. A Chipex kit costs from just £29.95, and will mean the previously-chipped area is now sealed and protected from rust!
With Chipex kit prices at £29.95 (12 chips), £35.95 (24 chips), and £37.95 (Chipex ‘Road Rash kit), (plus £4.99 P&P in the UK) can you really afford not to try this proven alternative to a respray? Personally, I’d rather have the extra cash…
Written by Chris Davies – an award-winning motoring journalist writing for CarProductsTested.com
Image attribution: Chipex kit in use and Audi R8 images courtesy of The Ultimate Finish
]]>Henry Ford once wrote in his autobiography of the Ford Model T: “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black”. It’s a common misconception that the Model T was only available in black, when in actual fact in the first years of its production (1908 – 1913) it was sold in grey, green, blue and red, with the quicker-drying black only really being introduced in 1914 to save time on the production line. Thankfully, cars come in a rainbow’s worth of choice now, and we can often choose the one to suit when buying a new vehicle. If you like a good choice of paintwork when choosing your new motor, then the 2015 Bentley Flying Spur W12 should satisfy your want, as it is offered in an amazing 107 different hues: 16 silvers, 11 blacks, 14 whites & beiges, 15 golds, oranges & browns, 18 reds, 11 greens and 22 blues. And that’s just the standard ones.
Bentley will literally match the colour of anything you want. As an example, Glacier Blue was developed after a customer looking for the perfect shade asked Bentley to match the tones of a utensil found in her kitchen! Of course, the Flying Spur W12 is an expensive car, and the majority of manufacturers of other luxury marques will not offer anywhere near that amount of choice. Regardless of the price of the car though, the colour often has a lot to do with the vehicle we end up buying, whether it’s a favourite shade perhaps, one that reminds us of a memorable place we visited, cars we’ve owned in the the past, or maybe it’s just the same colour we get every car in. In the last few years, manufacturers such as MG, MINI, Citroën, Fiat, Vauxhall and more are recognising this need for individualism, offering certain models with duo-colours, and being able to mix and match decal packs to the point of being able to change them to another style should you prefer. Volkswagen even sell the Beetle in retro colour and wheel combinations reminiscent of the various Bugs from decades past. Vinyl wraps have become massively popular, and especially so with supercar owners wishing for a car colour change with the insane price tag. To respray a Lamborghini, it could easily cost upwards of £30,000, whereas a vinyl wrap is relatively inexpensive at around £5,000. For a ‘normal’ car, you can pay from just £600, as opposed to £2,000 for a new spray job.
Matte paint is becoming more popular too, and whilst it looks utterly terrible on some cars, BMW have got it right with their limited edition versions out of the M3, which sport a matte finish, such as the Frozen Black , Frozen Silver and Frozen Orange. Flip paint – which changes colour depending on the which angle you view the car from – is an amazing look, and was used to great effect by TVR for their models, and surprisingly even MG-Rover sold some of their cars in this special type of ‘Monogram’ paintwork. Heat-sensitive paintwork is one of the most incredible ‘change’ paints though, and if done right it’s truly and amazing thing to watch happen, with one of the coolest currently being this BMW X6. While we all love our cars, and many spend plenty of both time and money washing, polishing and waxing the paintwork, it’s a massive shame and a gut-wrenching experience when it gets scratched or chipped. Thankfully, Chipex have the answer, with their brilliant Car Paint Touch-Up System, which has 100% colour-match guarantee and is used by satisfied vehicle owners worldwide, and is also available for a huge amount of different makes.
Get that annoying chip on your bonnet, try a Chipex kit and be ready to be amazed at the results.
Written by Chris Davies – an award-winning motoring journalist writing for CarProductsTested.com
]]>Car paint codes – not the most exciting topic, I’ll grant you, but an important necessity when you’re in need of painting an area of your vehicle, or getting the right match for a Chipex paint chip repair system.
When it comes to paint shades, Chipex and professional sprayers will require the vehicle paint code in order to get a 100% perfect match. You cannot simply ask for a colour because there are so many different shades of it.
The Bentley Mulsanne, for example, has no less than 8 different blacks, 16 silvers, 11 greens and 22 blues. And that’s just a few of their standard choices. Okay, that’s a rather special car, but actually Chipex can match their kits to virtually any vehicle regardless of the fact it is rare or exotic.
So, how do you find your car’s paint code? Firstly, there’s the easy route, using Chipex’s ultra-handy ‘How To Find Your Colour Code‘ page.
Start by using the ‘Option 1’ box, try typing in your car’s registration number. If that doesn’t work, move on to ‘Option 2’ colour-code location guide, which may show you exactly where it is on your car. If you have located it, enter it into the ‘Get My Kit’ box, and it will come up.
If you simply can’t find it anywhere, contact the manufacturer directly, and they’ll be able to help out.
Should you not be able to do this, in order to locate the code, there are a few places it’s normally placed. Firstly, it could be on the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) plate or have its own numbered sticker.
On some cars, this can be seen under the front windscreen. On other cars it is on the A or B pillars on the car, where the door hinges or closes. It is also under the bonnet (front or rear depending on model) of the car, and usually attached as a metal plate onto an obvious flat surface.
The actual paint code on the VIN varies hugely, and it’s not really obvious most of the time. It can be made up of a combination of letters and/or numbers, but sometimes the actual interior trim colour of the car can be in there too, so it’s always best to double-check you have the right one before ordering your paint kit.
As mentioned, sometimes there can also be a separate colour-code sticker, which is found separately. If you’re lucky, it’s in an obvious place like the door jamb, but other times the ‘data’ sticker can be in the front of the service book or stuck to the boot floor under the carpet. A bit random, but an internet search should provide you with the answer if all else fails.
Once you finally have your colour code, and you’re ready to order your Chipex paint repair system, a reminder that Chip offer a 100% colour match guarantee, it’s fast, easy, simple and safe to use, it seals and protects the area from rusting, and enhances your car’s value when it comes to re-selling it.
Written by Chris Davies – an award-winning motoring journalist writing for CarProductsTested.com
Photography:
Photo:By The Car Spy (1996 Porsche 911 993 GT2) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Car colours photo licensed from Envato.
]]>Walking out to my newly-purchased Lexus LS 400 one morning, it wasn’t until I was a feet away that I realised someone had run a knife edge across two of the door, one of them deeply.
It’s wasn’t a new car, or expensive at all – merely a 1998 model costing less then £2,000. However, it had been machine polished until the Astral Black paint reflected deeply and as good as it would have done in the showroom when originally sold.
The long paint scratch on my LS 400 came just one day after it had been polished, and it was done to a car I had immense pride in. If you’ve ever had this done to your vehicle – and especially one you love – this sort of unwarranted, nasty attack feels completely personal and it will make you feel nauseous and immensely angry for a while.
The same goes for when your car has been scraped by a supermarket trolley, or perhaps someone has caught your bodywork as they pull out of a space, and then driven off.
Whatever the scenario, once the initial shock and annoyance passes, it’s time to get something done about the damage. Here are your options to repairing paint scratches, and how to do the job.
If your car’s paintwork has been really deeply scratched, you may need to have that panel resprayed. That can be a costly job, and if money is tight or your car isn’t worth much to begin with, that’s probably not an option.
So, the next stage is to look at having the scratch repaired by a company specialising in paint chips and scratches. This again can be costly, and it’s likely going to cost £80 – £100 depending on the company, and even then you likely won’t receive perfect results.
Another option is to ask a high-end detailer or valeter for a quote on how much it will be to machine polish the area, in the hope it will polish out. Depending on the individual and the damage, you’re normally looking around the £50 – £120 mark.
Should you want to tackle a particularly nasty scratch yourself, which may be more involved and mean sanding back the damage and going from there, there are a whole bunch of useful YouTube videos on how to do this.
Finally (and hopefully), the scratch may be light enough to simply use a machine polisher and a Chipex car paint touch up system. More often than not it’s a case of ‘reduce’ over ‘ complete repair’ if it’s an especially-deep cut into the paint, but the Chipex kit does do an exceptionally good job of blending the damage into the rest of the panel, making it far less noticeable than it would be using, say, a traditional touch-up kit.
Machine polishing:
Firstly, let’s get that nasty gouge reduced. For this you will need access to a machine polisher, a couple of good quality polishing comdollars.
Tip: if you have not used a machine polisher before, ask someone with experience to do the job for you. Machine polishing can easily damage paintwork if used incorrectly!
If you feel competent to use a machine polisher, great, but be wary and take a good look at the scratch first. If they’ve used a sharp instrument such as a knife edge, the scratch should be a clean, narrow ‘V’ in the paint, with no rough edges. If they’ve used a key it almost always worse, as the scratch will be wide, with rough edges.
If it has rough edges, be wary of the paint pulling or flaking as you machine polish the area. You may want to start by hand-polishing to smooth out the rough areas.
Hopefully, after a few passes with the polisher the mark will have significantly diminished enough to be barely visible. If this isn’t the case, then it’s time to try a Chipex paint repair system.
Chipex are an international company, so please click here to go to choose your country’s website. They give a 100% colour match guarantee, are trusted by thousands of previous users, and are even the official suppliers to the Morgan Motor Company.
It’s a cheap system to buy: £29.95 for the ’12 chip’ repair kit, £35.95 for the ’24 chip’ kit, and the one I would personally buy: £37.95 for the ‘Heavily chipped car’ kit. You can always use it again numerous times in future then.
Firstly, you’ll need to choose your paint. To do this, go to the Chipex front page and use the sector to either input your paint colour code. Click here to find out how to find the colour code on your car.
If you can’t do that, simply use the drop-down menus to find your vehicle make, model and paint name. Failing that, contact the friendly guys at Chipex and they’ll be happy to help.
Once you’ve got the Chipex repair kit, it’s a really simple and easy-to-use process which is surprisingly quick to do.
Hopefully, using one of the cheaper above-methods that ugly paint scratch will be either completely invisible or so well hidden that it’s not really noticeable, and you can get your car looking great once more!
Written by Chris Davies – an award-winning motoring journalist writing for CarProductsTested.com
Photography:
Photo: Scratched car by Tristram Biggs
All other photos licensed from Envato.
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Often, car owners take much care and pride in the exterior of their vehicle using a good shampoo, polish and wax to keep it pristine, while paint chips or scratches can be taken care of using the excellent Chipex paint touchup system.
However, many either neglect the interior completely or only give the dash and centre console the occasional wipe-down, and hoover the carpets and seats even less frequently.
The thing is, you’re doing both yourself and your car a dis-service by only cleaning it sporadically.
Unless you vacuum your car regularly, every time you jump in your car you’re pumping up dust from the seats and carpet. That dust can be made up of all sorts of nasty stuff: the carpets will have stuff like general grime from the street, or minute traces of dog dirt from the grass verge tramped in by your shoes, and all that dust them puffs up into the air, and lands on your dash, centre console and in the air vents, which is then blown around the cabin and you’ll be breathing it in.
The seats may have age-old crumbs of food down the back and in the crevices, which have turned into nasty bacteria, and the steering wheel, gear knob and switchgear are generally a haven for germs, unless you’re particularly hygienic. Skin follicles also come away, and gather in areas you touch regularly, like the window controls, steering wheel, gear shifter surround etc.
University studies show that the average vehicle houses is way dirtier than a house, having 1700 times more bacteria! Testes showed there was 283 different types of bacteria per square centimetre, the gearstick holds approximately 356 different germs, the boot has around 850 types of bacteria, and the cup holders generally has 228% more bacteria than the average toilet seat! Gross, and dangerous too if you’re breathing that in regularly.
Your car’s interior trim will also suffer from a lack of regular cleaning and using protective products, as it is exposed to the sun regularly, which has damaging UV rays that can crack and dis-colour any part exposed to it.
Thankfully, following this quick and easy guide to cleaning your interior should help you combat the germs and bacteria effectively!
The products below are all easily available at most auto stores, or at an online detailing store.
Here are a few step to quickly vacuuming your car. Always vacuum first as dust will naturally kick up and settle on the trim, which you’ll be cleaning next anyway. If needed, have the carpets and seats wet-vacuumed by a professional who will use upholstery shampoo to deep-clean and rid it of more bacteria and germs.
This looks in-depth, but it’s actually a very quick process.
If needed, use a leather balm to keep the leather supple and protect it from cracking and the colour fading.
Chris Davies is an award-winning motoring journalist writing for CarProductsTested.com
Photo Credits:
Dirty interior: Michael Theis
Staphylococcus xylosus – Petri dish: Amanda
Legacy GT interior – Clean car interior: Rich Moffitt
Clean leather seats: Bryn Pinzgauer
Really clean car interior – 2012 Lexus RX270 interior: NRMA Motoring and Services
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Ferrari 328 bumper before using Chipex
Ferrari 328 bumper after using Chipex
Like many, you take pride in your car’s appearance. When it gets dirty you wash it or have it washed, then it has a coat of wax lovingly applied and it’s looking great once more… that is until you get to a section of the car and notice a slight scuff, or maybe stone chips appearing from that last motorway blast. Infuriating, isn’t it.
Whether you simply like to keep your car looking its best, or are getting it looking good for selling (experts reckon you can add £200 and upwards to the value of your car by tidying the paintwork up before selling!), the fact is that having a slight scuff or a fair few stone chips on the bumper can make the car look ugly and well under-par.
Thankfully Chipex have the solution! But firstly let’s have a look at the other alternatives, and why Chipex proves itself to be the better option to them.
The problem with having your car bumper repaired in the traditional way is that it can be costly – an expense you don’t want or need. How much is it to respray a bumper? After a few phone calls to various body repair centres, the average cost of a bumper to be ‘flatted’ (where the chip, scratch or scuff is rubbed down flat, ready for respray), primed and then resprayed is from £150 – £300, depending on the car, of course.
If it’s a slight scuff or scratch, they can sometimes repair that area and ‘blend’ the paintwork to look as one, although in my own experience it take a whole lot of skill to get the two areas to match perfectly. Even having this done will set you back at least £80+, depending on the panel.
While the above may be fair prices for the work carried out, there are setbacks: the dent in your bank account, the messing around dropping the car off and then waiting a couple of days for it to be done, and having to arrange lifts or taxi/bus rides to work. And then if it isn’t done well, you’ve got the stress of doing it all over again. I know the pain, as I’ve been there and done that way too many times.
Before (left) and after (right) using Chipex on bumper scratches and chips.
Another way is to pay a specialist to come out to your car and repair/paint the stone chips or scratch. Even then, I was quoted a minimum of £45 – £55, and that was for just a few chips or a light scratch, and again you have the inconvenience in most cases of arranging for them to come and quote for the repair before they can actually do the job.
One more method is to buy or use one of those scratch & chip repair kits you can get from motoring stores. In my experience these are a real pain to use, as it’s a long and slow process building up layers of separate paint and lacquer, and a decent finish is hard to achieve after all that effort.
Worse are the pen-type touch-up kits – you know, the ones you get in your car’s glove box. I’ve used these a load of times on my various cars over the years, and they never seem to improve, giving a blatantly obvious and ugly finish to the chip repair, and then the next time you go to use it, the little brush has dried stiff for some weird reason. Annoying.
Rear Bumper Before & After applying Chipex touch up paint.
What’s the alternative to the above though? A Chipex car touch-up paint system! With a Chipex touch-up system you can repair or hide stone chips and light scratches or scuffs on car bumpers and other areas with very little effort on your part.
The benefits to the Chipex system are numerous, so let’s list them:
In case you’re thinking “I’ve got an expensive car, I’d rather take it to a body shop than use one of these kits” then think again, as Chipex kits have been used to repair a huge variety of cars, even super-rare and exotic motors such as a 1960 Aston Martin DB4 , a 1963 Aston Martin DB5, an Audi R8 V10, and a ‘Nero Daytona Black’ Ferrari 575M, amongst others. Oh, and top that off Chipex are an official supplier to the Morgan Motor Company.
Before & after images of Chipex touch up paint on a citroen C1 bumper.
Chipex sell the system for an extensive list of cars from around the world, and if you want to see if your car is included (it probably will be) simply visit the Chipex manufacturer page.
All said, there are a huge amount of benefits to using a Chipex touch-up paint system to repair that unattractive paint chip, light scratch or scuff in your car’s bumper, and now you know what those are, simply input your car’s registration plate or colour code into the form on the front page of the Chipex website and order yours today!
Chris Davies is an award-winning motoring journalist writing for CarProductsTested.com
Follow Chipex on their Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts.
]]>A car is usually the second-most expensive thing you’ll buy after a house. You’re proud of it and so naturally you like to keep it looking clean and shiny, but actually some wash methods and products can be detrimental to your car’s exterior surfaces if used regularly.
In this post, we’ll guide you through some basics of what’s good and bad when it comes to keeping your car clean. This isn’t an in-depth ‘detailer’ type guide, but a basic one that’s easy to follow and useful for the everyday person.
Automatic car washes are a brilliant invention, right? Insert a few coins into the machine, drive in, and then sit back as your car is squirted with foam, some big rotating brushes make their way across your the bodywork and glass, and finally dried off with a bar producing high-pressure air.
Driving out, your car looks impressively clean and shiny (apart from the wheel spokes, annoyingly, which it can’t get to) once more, and that’s it – you’ve not got cold or wet, but simply sat in your warm car while a machine does the hard work.
However, there are negative factors to this. Ever left your wing mirror open going through the wash? Often, it gets pushed shut with the force of the brushes. If it’s got the power to do that, imagine what your paintwork is going through when being slapped and whacked by the brushes or materials strips (depending on the machine)!
If you like to keep it clean with this method and do it on a regularly basis, the paintwork will without doubt suffer as although only barely noticeable fine scratches will appear in the finish at first, these will build and build until the paint becomes dull and flat. I’ve seen cars just a few years old have badly faded and dulled paint because the owner likes to keep it clean, and without fail takes it through the car wash once a week.
If you’re not massively fussy about your car, the occasional automatic wash is fine but if used regularly, the above could result.
What about products? A highly common one is for people to squirt a large amount of washing-up liquid/detergent into a bucket, before scrubbing away with an old sponge, cloth, or worse a vehicle brush (cringe), then throwing the remainder of the dirty water over the car, before rinsing the car down. Again, it’ll look clean but it’s not good for the paintwork at all.
Hosepipe and sponge: Some rights reserved by devinlynnx
Washing-up liquid is made for one thing: cleaning away all the grease and baked-on food from your plate, and it does so very effectively, leaving them squeaky-clean. The problem is, when used on a car the detergent strips away any form of protection on the paintwork and plastic and rubber trim, leaving it way more vulnerable to fade-inducing UV rays from the sun, and harmful industrial and natural fallout (bird muck, road grime etc).
Usually, the wash is followed by an enthusiastic rub-down with a bottle of old-school car polish with an old rag, but we’ll mention that in the next section. One more thing, and that’s about the interior. Over time interior plastics will fade and crack, so it’s vital to more than just wipe them down with a damp cloth.
Below is a quick ‘Do and Don’t’ guide for cleaning your car inside and out. Doing just these few easy things will keep your car looking great, protect the surfaces, and also add value when it comes to selling it.
‘Do nots’
Do not… take your vehicle to an automatic car wash regularly. This will damage the paint and trim over time, fading it and causing layer-upon-layer of light scratches.
Scratches caused by automatic machine car wash or using a dirty sponge or brush.
Do not… use washing up detergents. These strip away any protection on the paint or trim, leaving it susceptible to UV and fallout damage.
Do not… clean your car using an old rag or car brush. They will only add scratches and swirls to the paintwork.
Do not… throw the gritty and dirty remaining water over the car before rinsing. It’s pointless, and you’re only risking adding further scratches to the paintwork.
Do not… use a rubber squeegee to dry off the car. These are really bad, as they tiniest bit of grit will be pushed along the paintwork, causing clearly-visible scratches.
Do not… use polish regularly. Many old-school polishing products are designed to get rid of light scratches and scuff marks, and although they make the car look shiny you’re actually rubbing away the lacquer/paint layers slowly but surely. Plus, they do not add protection back to the paint either, and they also consume time and energy unnecessarily.
Do not… use strong acidic wheel cleaners or ‘brick acid’ products on your alloy wheels. Doing so can have an irreversible damaging effect on the finish. Also avoid using a normal yard-type brush on them, as this will scratch badly.
‘Do’s’
Do… wash the car yourself using good quality products (listed further down). If you’re incapable of doing this or simply don’t have the time, at least pay a valeter to do it or take it to a ‘hand car wash’. If possible, ask them to use microfibre cloths to dry the car, rather than the dreaded grit-scraping rubber squeegees.
Do… dry off the car quickly afterwards. If you don’t, the paintwork will have runs and watermarks galore, and they are a pain in the ass to shift.
Do.. use a Chipex kit to repair nasty stone chips in your paint, and save it from further damage. It’s quick and easy to apply, and you can add value to your car by doing so!
Do… use a spray wax/quick detailer after each wash. This will maintain the high shine and also protect the paintwork and trim.
Do… apply high quality wax every few months. Wax not only adds lustre and depth to the paintwork, but protects the bodywork too. It also makes future washing far easier and less time-consuming.
Do… use an acid/alkaline free wheel cleaner for regular alloy cleaning. If you have badly baked-on grime, then you may have to for the first deep clean. After that, choose the above option to avoid any damage.
Do… pay a bit more for your products. Cheap definitely isn’t best when it comes to keeping your car looking great. There are loads of smaller, independent-type car cleaning manufacturers out there, and you tend to find some very innovative and higher quality products over those in the big car accessory stores.
Products you will need
– Car shampoo. Preferably one that is wax-friendly, pH-neutral, and dilutes well to give you more value.
– Wash mitt. Even a cheaper one is better than a sponge, but there are some really good quality versions out there, and worth buying to minimise scratches and swirls.
– Bucket with a ‘scratch shield’. Sounds complex? It’s not. Simply put, when grit and grime goes into the bucket, it then drops below the ‘shield’, keeping the water above cleaner.
– Microfibre drying towel. Buying a super-absorbant car-specific drying towel means less effort for you, and less chance of watermarks.
– Bottle of spray wax/quick detailer. Essential for maintaining a quick and easy high shine and good paintwork protection.
– High quality car wax. Good wax should be easy to apply and remove, and it should last at least 2 months. There are many to choose from, so perhaps ask the seller what they would choose.
– Choose the correct alloy wheel cleaning products for your specific wheels. Genuine split-rims and chrome wheels need extra care, and there are products developed for these, but most acid and alkaline-free versions will be safe. Always check the product description and ingredients first.
– Soft wheel brush. Choose a none-damaging and chemical-resistant brush for the safest way of cleaning your alloys.
Chris Davies is an award-winning motoring journalist writing for CarProductsTested.com
Photo Credits:
Automatic car wash: Some rights reserved by KOMUnews
Hosepipe and sponge: Some rights reserved by devinlynnx
307 Detail (scratches): Some rights reserved by cupra_jamie
307 Detail (car shampoo suds): Some rights reserved by cupra_jamie
TVR Tuscan detail:Some rights reserved by cupra_jamie
]]>Opening your house door one morning in winter, you step out into an unexpected blizzard. The temperature has dropped rapidly through the night and it’s snow snowing heavily, and underneath it ice has taken grip too.
Struggling to your car, you realise that you’ve left your one and only ice scraper somewhere in the house. You push aside the snow on your windscreen in the hope it won’t be frozen underneath – but it is. Your fingers now numb, you pull open the car door with difficultly and jump inside, go to fire the engine and… nothing happens, just that dreaded clicking noise you get when your battery is completely flat.
A neighbour has jump leads and you manage to start the engine, and after warming it enough to melt some of the ice from the screen, you’re off on your way, triumphant that you’re finally going! That is, until you use your washer jets to clear your windscreen, which freezes over immediately thanks to a lack of screen wash.
You pull over to try to clear the ice, and having done that you go to set off, but there’s a distinct lack of traction. With zero grip, you ask a passing 4×4 to help you out. Sorry mate, no tow-rope. In desperation you phone the breakdown service, but there’s a 3-hour wait as they’re overloaded with work.
Sitting back heavily, you’re convinced nothing else can go wrong. Until you glance at your fuel gauge and realise you’re running in the red. You’ve left your big winter jacket at home, and your work shoes aren’t exactly cut out for snow, so walking the two miles to the nearest garage is out of the question. And now the snow is settling thick and fast. A text pops onto your phone from the breakdown company: ‘Due to the weather conditions and heavy workload, we will be delayed’. Great.
This may seem like a worst-case scenario, but it’s guaranteed this will happen regularly across the country as the bad weather arrives and drivers are caught totally underprepared. In the worst instances, it could be tragic.
On the 20th December 2010, the AA reports in that single day they handled more than 28,000 breakdowns and call-outs, whilst in February 2012 the RAC attended to over 50,000 battery-related cases.
So, just how can you prepare yourself and your car for the winter weather ahead? Using information from the breakdown services and the Police, we’ve compiled a handy guide to what you’ll need to do.
Note: it’s worth printing this list out to help.
Make sure your car will start! If the temperature has dropped rapidly overnight, this will effect the charge level in your battery. If it’s an old one, you might want to replace it. An extremely useful piece of equipment is a jump starter which means you won’t have to rely on borrowing your neighbours jump leads. On that note, jump cables are cheap to buy and well worth keeping in your boot anyway.
Fill your screenwash up. Poor visibility leads to accidents, and it’s vital to keep your screen clear as you drive. A common mistake is grab the nearest bottle of screenwash from the aisle of your fuel station and pour it in. However, always check the label. Some are pre-diluted and are good for only a few degrees below zero celsius. Go for the concentrated screenwash, and dilute it yourself to however cold it is (remember to factor wind-chill into the equation, not just the outside temperature). The good ones will protect from – 35˚ and below.
Can you see out your windscreen well? It’s all well having decent screenwash, but if your wiper blades are cut or old, this will lead to smearing and bad visibility. New ones are recommended, and it’s also a good habit to clean the inside of the glass to cut down glare.
Get your antifreeze mixture right. A common mistake is for drivers to top up their radiator with water throughout summer. However, when it gets to winter, you could be looking at a frozen system if your mixture isn’t correct. If you’re not sure what mix to use, visit your garage where they should charge only a small amount to do it for you.
Check your tyres. The more grip left, the better. At least 3mm of tread is recommended for winter driving. If your tyres are looking worn and your area is particularly susceptible to snow and ice, perhaps consider buying all-season tyres for more traction.
Can you actually get into your car? A frequent issue in sub-zero conditions is that moisture on your door seals becomes frozen and the doors become extremely difficult to open. Door locks can also freeze, locking you out. For door seals, apply either a smearing of Vaseline, or common house polish (such as Mr Sheen). For the locks, use something like WD40 to stop them becoming frozen.
Do you have enough fuel? If you become stuck in traffic or simply can’t get traction, you may be stuck for hours. You’ll need to keep warm by running the engine and that obviously uses fuel. Another issue is that fuel trucks sometimes cannot get through for several days, so always make sure you keep plenty of fuel in your tank throughout winter, and also carry a can of it in the boot, using the correct type of container.
Below is a list of gear you should carry in your car. It’s may seem extensive and perhaps over the top by some, but it’s what common sense should dictate, and it’s also what emergency services such as the Police and Fire Service recommend taking with you.
To keep gear to hand, it’s best to put a box in the boot and store some of the larger items in there.
It’s not gear but: Check the weather report – if it’s going to be bad that day, think seriously about whether you really need to travel or not.
Ice scraper and de-icer. Always check what temperature the de-icer works to.
Snow shovel. Space-saving versions are available
Jump starter and cables
Warm and weatherproof jacket
Heavy blankets for yourself and any passengers
Thick gloves. Should you need to shovel snow, you’ll be glad of them!
Boots and thick socks
Sunglasses to cut down glare from the low sun
Mobile phone charger
Food and drink. Thermos flasks or 12-volt in-car travel kettles can be purchased to ensure warm drinks and hot food can be had
Satellite navigation system and/or road map.
Torch with extra batteries or charging cable. Wind-up torches are also a good option
Snow socks. Should you loose traction, these are an excellent way of getting going again. Used by the breakdown services to good effect.
Snow chains. For more extreme conditions, chains are a better option over snow socks.
Tow rope. Buy a long and decently heavy-duty version. 3 tonne rating and upwards is recommended
Finally: Stay safe, always be sensible, and drive in accordance with the weather conditions.
Chris Davies is an award-winning motoring journalist writing for CarProductsTested.com
Photo credits: Ice covered car: Endlisnis; Snow covered street: Mark Hillary; Car Stuck in snow: Laurel F
]]>Find out about all of the races, triathlons and sporting events our CEO took on during 2014….
26 miles through the streets of Manchester
The Manchester marathon has to be one of the best in the UK for those wanting a quick time and going for a personal best (PB) or the elusive sub 3 hour! It has a wonderful atmosphere with music bands dotted along the whole 26.2 mile course so as to keep the 10,000 athletes entertained or distracted – depending on one’s point of view! Due to the lower entry numbers than the London Marathon there is plenty of space to get on with running without banging into others!
An iconic setting for one of the most famous races in the US
This iconic US race is an amazing combination of triathlon, racing and adventure! Boarding the San Francisco Belle at around 5.30am, the jovial mood starts to quieten as the large boat arrives and positions itself next to Alcatraz Island. As the horn goes 2,000 athletes jump, dive and hurl themselves into the freezing cold water of San Francisco bay for the 1.5 Mile swim to the mainland exit point! Half way across you get large swells which makes it even more entertaining and exhilarating, as you rise and sink through the churning waves. Once you reach the land exit point, you are straight into a quarter of a mile barefoot run to your bike in the transition park. The 18 mile bike route is, well just like San Francisco! Hilly, hilly, hilly, but through all the curves and high speed descents it really is an absolute pleasure, with glimpses of the Golden Gate Bridge. With some energy left in the tank, it's off for the 8 mile run, and even seeing Miranda Carfrae, Ironman World Champion, blasting along on the return section. As the hills increase in steepness, you then eventually descend onto the beach to be greeted a short while later with the infamous “Sand Ladder” which is a lung busting ascent from the bottom of the beach to the hilly top! It even has its own timing matts so see how fast you can get the job done! Then, the final sprint to the race finish and plenty of time to reflect on what a truly special event this is!
Taking on one of the most challenging Ironman 70.3 courses in the world
They say that Ironman Wimbleball is one of the most challenging in the world 70.3’s in the world and I’d have to say that I think they are pretty much on the money having done the Lanzarote Ironman 70.3 the previous year. The event being in Exmoor, you know it’s going to be hilly and the weather temperamental with the swim being the only flat part of the course. The bike routes take you through amazing countryside with fantastic high-speed curvy descents for those that like to test their nerve! And the hills seem to get steeper and taller throughout the course. The run course bucks and weaves up and down for 13.2 miles making you wonder if your nutrition strategy was well conceived, as your legs and body protest all the way to finishing chute
A stunning setting for a long (and very cold!) triathlon – 2.2Km swim, 115Km bike, 22Km run
The Alp D’uez long course triathlon is set in the stunning scenery of the Alps and takes in the world famous Tour d ’France hill climb section. The swim takes place in a lake some 4,000 feet below the finish line, and having just rained the day before the mountain ice water had chilled the lake nicely and was certainly colder than Alcatraz. Some were even pulled from the lake with hypothermia! Once out of the water and onto the bike leg, you are very quickly into the first of the very long mountain hill climbs to the top of the first Alp that never seems to end. The descents are stunning and seriously fast, so what one lacks in uphill punch can be made up with downhill bravado! After around 60 miles of the most serious mountain climbs and descents, you are presented with the famous 10 mile Alp d’Huez hill climb that twists and turns its way up an increasingly steep gradient! Once at the top you finish it all off with a cross country half marathon all the way to the finishing chute.
The Vitruvian is a fast course with a few hills on the bike and great out and back run course!
A welcome return to marathon running in this beautiful Dutch capital
They say it’s the flattest and fastest marathon course in the world so those looking for their PB time, this is the course to choose! It bucks and weaves its way around the capital and finally takes you back to the stadium from where you started. Just be aware of the 3 mile walk back to your hotel afterwards as the roads are closed!
This 3 day Ultra takes you from the start of the Ridgeway at the Ivinghoe Beacon Buckinghamshire through the Chilterns and all the way to the West of Swindon, Wiltshire. The course is split into three days of around 30 miles per day through wonderful countryside. It’s a great course and you will certainly be feeling it towards the end of the third and final day!
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