As our cars age, they have a tendency to experience sagging in the headliner part. This sagging usually happens within 10 years from when you first made the car purchase.

You will notice the sagging headliner in its early stages of deterioration. You can find some bubbles that might be visible from your rear view mirror. If this is the case, you need to recognize that you are now faced with a repair problem.

Stay away from the temporary headliner fixes. There are people who opt to use thumbtacks to fix this problem only to painfully find out that this is not a good solution at all. Adhesives have also been used as a solution but the thing is that these are not long-lasting and they wear out after a couple of days.

The only fix that you can do for this problem is to replace the headliner completely. After all, you have been using the old one for about ten years. A replacement is surely a worthy expense. It is, however, quite an expensive thing to do since most people opt to go for the help of a professional installer.

There are repair kits that come with a foam cloth and the necessary adhesive. The car repair professional will proceed to remove the trim that keeps the old headliner in place. All the foam will have to be removed because the new headliner has to have a clean material to be glued onto. Once the surface has been cleaned well, it is just a matter of installing the new headliner that you have purchased.

Stay away from the temporary solutions that leave you with a subpar result. Go for the necessary expense since this is mostly good for the long run anyway. If you think that hiring the professional is too costly, you can always try to do it yourself.

There are times when you are driving on the road and you are inadvertently hit by another car which can cause damage to your side mirror. These are important items that you cannot drive without since they serve a very important safety purpose. It allows the driver to see the side area of the car; an area that is often out of the main vision. The side mirrors let the driver decide what directions to take and what moves to do next.

It is quite easy to fix the problem of a broken side mirror. Usually it is a matter of replacing the broken glass or the entire thing itself. You can get the replacement glass from a store that specializes in auto parts. This is commonly available after three working days and can cost up to $20.

If you are repairing the side mirror yourself, you should be careful when you take out the broken glass pieces. Make sure that all glue that is left behind is completely removed.

Once you have obtained the replacement glass, take some silicone and place it onto the plate. Do opt for the generic silicone brands since these harden faster compared to the premium ones which are also more expensive.

Take the new mirror and press it onto the plate gently. Leave the mirror in to dry but while you are doing this you should keep it in place with some masking tape. Usually the silicone will take about four hours to completely dry.

After the silicone has dried, remove the masking tape and clean the mirror to remove any specks and fingerprints.

Replacing your side mirror right away can help to keep you from accidents that might occur in the future. You can go for a professional to help you with this but it is also a project that you can do by yourself.

Scratches and dents happen, and they’re impossible to ignore. Some idiot may have hit you in the parking lot, or someone with ill will against you might have keyed your car. No matter what the story is, scratches and dents make an otherwise nice vehicle look shabby. There’s no need to rush off to the car repair shop; most dents and scratches can be fixed by yourself.

Taking Care Of Scratches

Of all the different car repair problems, scratches are probably the easiest to fix. The first step is to figure out the nature of the scratch. Some scratches only take off a little paint, while some nasty ones get all the way down to the metal. Upon closer inspection, you might find that what you thought was a scratch is actually residue from something else. If, for instance, somebody hits you with a grocery cart, it will leave a little bit of the cart’s metal. This is because your paint job is stronger.

Underneath the top level of paint, you’ve got primer and then metal. If it’s just a matter of some paint scratched off, try just sanding and buffing. Often, this is all it takes.

If it goes deeper, it just takes a little more work. First, rub shoe polish on the scratch. This highlights it and makes it easier to tell when you’re done erasing it. Sand it down and then polish it using a rubber compound and polishing wheel. After that, buff with cloth. You might have to go over it a couple of times, and repainting might be necessary.

If it gets all the way down to the metal, you’re better off to get a car repair professional to do it. You’ll need bigger and more specialized tools, and it will definitely require professional repainting.

Taking Out Dents

Dents take a bit more work, but you can take care of it yourself if you’re pretty handy. You’ve got the option of buying a dent removal kit, and this is highly recommended. The kit has all the stuff you need in it and it makes it a heck of a lot easier. If you’re confident about your repair skills, you can do it the old fashioned way without the kit.

Basically, what you’ll need to do is drill a hole and use some kind of suction to pull the dent out and flatten the metal. Find the center of the dent and put your hold there. Your kit will provide a specialized pulling tool, usually consisting of a rope or suction device. You’ll attach the device to the inside of the dent, and use the tool to pull it back into a flat shape.

Once you’ve got it where it used to be, pound it out until it’s flat with a metalworking hammer. This is the toughest part of the job and it can take a while of pounding, but you’ll get the hang of it and it’ll eventually start to look smooth.

Now, sand it down and apply body filler and spray primer. Once it’s applied, sand again and repaint. This will get your body looking just like it did before.

Call The Experts

If you’re not sure about your skill or don’t have the time, take your dented vehicle to a car repair shop. It’s one of the easiest car repair jobs out there, and they’ll have it finished for you in a couple of hours.

The world is full of morons and most of them have drivers’ licenses. When one of them strikes, you might be able to save money on car repair by doing it yourself. If not, call the pros and have them do it.

The last time I bought a new battery for my car I got a credit of $12.00 for turning in the old one. This helps to offset the cost of the new battery, but what if you kept it and reconditioned it back to new. You would have a good spare battery to have on hand for an emergency or for someone else to use.

I think not many people are aware of the possibility of reconditioning batteries. The process has been around for years, but has not been widely discussed. It is probably not for everyone to try, you can just buy new batteries, but many do it yourselfers love the chance to bring a battery back to life and put it back to work and save money.

There are many that have gone on to make a part time or full time business out of this. There are a couple ways they approach this. One is to recondition batteries that people bring them for a fee. Another is to get batteries that have been discarded or nobody wants, recondition them, and resell them at a discount.

The tools you need can be purchased locally and are not that expensive. If you just want to recondition batteries at home for yourself, family and friends you could get by with less. If you make a business out of it you should get more tools so you can recondition more batteries at one time.

Reconditioning batteries is not confined to car batteries alone. You can recondition golf cart and fork lift batteries, and most other rechargeable batteries used around the home. If you use power tools like battery drills, you would save yourself a lot of money reconditioning them as opposed to buying new expensive ones.

I often drive from Fergus Falls, MN to Wadena, MN, a distance of about 55 miles. Between and inside these two towns, it seems that nearly all 1980s cars that are still being driven are Toyota vehicles. From the automobiles that I see being driven on the highways between, and on the streets within, these two communities, I might venture the guess that Toyota Motor Corporation had 80% to 95% of the U.S. new car market in the 1980s. However, back then, Toyota’s share of the U.S. car market was in the single digits. This suggests that 1980s Toyota automobiles have remarkable durability, relative to the products of other auto makers.

I have a fascination with car durability, as I own a 1984 Toyota Corolla hatchback, presently with more than 545,000 miles. I bought this car new in 1984 because of its Consumer Reports’ reliability history, but I had no idea that I would enjoy owning it longer than the 4 years that I owned my 1976 and 1980 General Motors cars, both with multiple problems and speedy dilapidation, and the latter with large rust spots within the first year and a half, cracks in the dashboard, and a sweating steering wheel, not to mention the mechanism failures.

So, my personal experiences have strongly suggested that Toyota vehicles have both a reliability and a durability that far exceeds the products of most automobile manufacturers. However, the question arises: Are these experiences anomalies without any guide for others as to what they might anticipate?

Most likely, they are not anomalies. The available data suggest that Toyota products are very long lasting, lasting much longer than those of most other motor vehicle manufacturers.

Here is some of that data.

From 2001 to 2009, visitors to a leading automotive website specializing in auto reliability and durability information were given an opportunity to submit information regarding their high mileage automobiles for inclusion in one or more of the site’s high mileage rosters that were then available. From the information provided, Toyota Motor Corporation accounted for more than 63% of the cars and trucks with 400,000 or more miles and 15 or more years and 60% of the Top 25 highest mileage vehicles.

Also from 2001 to 2009, owners of Toyota cars and trucks were asked, by one of the site’s online surveys, to estimate when their vehicle would be akin to a typical Big Three vehicle at 50,000 miles, taking account of “repair needs, unpleasant noises, surges, knocks, structural integrity, body-accessory integrity, proper component functioning, and interior esthetics.” The median estimate was 250,000 miles, suggesting that Big Three vehicles age about 5 times more rapidly than Toyota vehicles.

Similar aging results were obtained by detailed computations using the reliability information available in several years of Consumer Reports’ reliability tables. By these computations, the estimated age at which a typical 1999 Toyota model will be as troublesome as a typical 1999 General Motors model was at age 3 years was found to be 19 years. Corresponding estimated Toyota age equivalents for a 3-year-old typical 1999 model by Chrysler and Ford were 17 years and 15 years, respectively.

Consequently, the data indicate that 1980s and 1990s Toyota vehicles have been good prospects for long-term ownership. The question of interest today is: What 2000s vehicles are good prospects for 20-year to 35-year ownership?

For any vehicle to be a good long-term-ownership prospect, it must remain reliable as it ages, that is, it must have a low frequency of serious problems at all ages. The benchmark set here is that a good long-term-ownership candidate must have, at the very least, an overall 2010 Car Reliability Grade Point Average of 3.80 over a full 10-year data history. By this standard, the prospects, together with their 10-year-data-history GPA, are:

The V6 Toyota 4Runner, a midsize SUV with a perfect 4.00 GPA,
The 4-cylinder Toyota RAV4, a small SUV with a 3.88 GPA,
Toyota Motor Corporation’s Lexus RX, a midsize SUV with a 3.88 GPA,
Toyota Motor Corporation’s Lexus ES, a upscale sedan with a 3.81 GPA,
Toyota Motor Corporation’s Lexus LS, a luxury sedan with a 3.81 GPA,

The Toyota Corolla, a small sedan with a 3.81 GPA,
The V6, 4-wheel-drive Toyota Tacoma, a small-to-midsize pickup truck with a 3.81 GPA,
The 4-cylinder Honda Accord, a midsize sedan with a 3.81 GPA.

Close to meeting the standard are the Honda Civic Sedan with a 3.75 10-year-data-history GPA, the 4-cylinder Toyota Camry with a 3.69 GPA, and the Honda CR-V with a 3.63 GPA.

A good candidate for meeting the standard next year is the Toyota Prius, with a 9-year-data-history GPA of a perfect 4.00.

Have you ever spotted a car filled with those cool headlights and wished it was yours? Well, that is normal feeling especially when your car seems to be missing some parts already. Getting headlights, which is one of the famous car accessories at present, can really be great but how are you so sure that this is the right one for your vehicle? It would be best to take a quick look on the common types of headlights to help you decide on this.

One of the common types is the project headlights that are found right in front of your car. Having these on your car allows you to see clearer and avoid accidents on the road especially when it is too dark. Projector headlights can lose their functionality so it is important to replace these quickly or upgrade in a better type because you are being guided by these lights while driving.

If you travel a lot and you experience different kinds of weather, having fog lights can be a life saver for you in different ways. As the name suggests, this kind which is used on foggy days, is also found in front of the vehicle at the lower part. These are very helpful especially when your vision on the road becomes difficult, although there are instances that you can only use these when you are not distracting other drivers.

Another great and handy one for your automobile is the LED tail lights which can be fashionable and efficient at the same time. This one does not consume a lot on your battery system at it can withstand any road condition thus making it easier to save on your budget for maintenance.

Adding ornaments on your car, especially when these can be useful for you, can really be exciting but expensive at the same time. It would be helpful to try out stores like CartPart4U which may provide you with excellent products at a lower cost or search other online shops that can suit your preference for car accessories.

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There are several reasons you should consider DIY or do-it-yourself AC recharging. The greatest reason is that you will save a lot of money. You will avoid unscrupulous mechanics who remove some parts when you take the car in for repairs. Insurance rates and/or auto warranty rates change depending on how often you take the car in for repairs - you will not have this problem if you replace the AC yourself. To do DIY air conditioner replacement, you need practical knowledge. You also need eye protection and the right gear for your safety because skin or eye contact with the refrigerant can cause frostbite. You will also need a charging kit and a refrigerant. The most common refrigerant in new models is R134. The charging kits are readily available online and from department stores and auto parts shops. The kits come with pressure gauges for troubleshooting.

It is important that you note the refrigerant that your car uses. Most cars that were manufactured before 1995 use R12 which is no longer available in the market. To recharge such A/C systems, you can use recycled refrigerants from older cars - check the local junk yard. You can also make modifications to use R134A. You should never mix different types of refrigerants and you should avoid the use of flammable refrigerants such as propane and flammable hydrocarbons, which are actually illegal in most states. When recharging the AC, the first step is to connect the recharge service hose and the valve to the can of refrigerant - all these are contained in the recharge kit. Next, turn the valve on the service hose until it punctures the top of the can containing the refrigerant. Turn the valve back to its original position slowly. This will release a small amount of refrigerant into the hose and it is done to remove air from the hose. Your car has a low pressure charging port. This will be on the refrigerant line of your vehicle near the accumulator. After locating this port, connect the quick coupling.

You should never connect the refrigerant to the high side of the charging port since the pressure inside the air conditioning system may burst the can when you run the engine. However, there is a low risk of this happening because the service hose is designed in such a way that it will not fit the high pressure charging port. After this, hold the refrigerant can upright to prevent refrigerant entering the service hose since only vapor should be pulled into the AC system. Note that if compressor sucks large quantities of liquid, it may be damaged. You should have a gauge for monitoring the process. Although this is not necessary, it will make the whole process more accurate, meaning there will be no risk of overcharging or undercharging the system. Next, start the engine of your car. Turn the AC to MAX/HIGH, or high cool, high fan. Open the valve so that the refrigerant can pass through the hose - this will take anything from 2 to 5 minutes. Finally, check whether the can is still cold and if it is not, close the valve and disconnect the hose. Make sure there are no leaks on the charging port and replace the cap. Run the AC system to find out whether you have been successful.

Driving around with your shiny and slick car brings about a feeling of great achievement. If the vehicle is new, you will find yourself taking extra care to ensure that it remains looking like it was just driven off the car lot. However, no matter how careful one is, there is bound to be a time that the vehicle will have a scratch or dent due to some accident or negligence. Such an event, especially when it occurs to a new car, can be very distressing.

The thought of taking the car to a repair shop is not exciting due to the amount of money you’ll probably have to pay. However, don’t fret; you may be able to repair small scratches and blemishes satisfactorily yourself at a minimal cost.

While doing it yourself is convenient, there are trade-offs to going this route. It’s likely the paint won’t quite match the original color of the car and it won’t lay level or flat with the paint in the surrounding area. If your car is dented or has large areas that need repair, it’s best to leave it to professional body shops to do the work.

However, if you are bound and determined to move ahead, then use these tips to help you do the best touch up paint job possible:

• If possible, get the touch up paint from your car manufacturer’s dealer. This way, you can get the closest possible match to your car’s paint color.
• For successful application of touch up paint, you need to have a steady hand. This is necessary because the spots that usually require repair are small.
• Compared to solid or opaque colored paint, metallic paint separates, leaving you with poor results.
• Many touch up paint kits will come with unnecessary extras, like a separate clear coat paint. While clear coats are available to add protection to your paint job, often, they look messy and too thick to blend in well with the surrounding paint.
• Sanding paper and cleaning solvents to prep the area beforehand aren’t required.
• After the paint has dried, you may decide to do color sanding. However, this requires skill and a high speed buffer. I do not recommend this for the beginner and expert advice or service is required.
• Though most touch up paints come with a brush or a tip for easy application, use of a toothpick for really precise results is an option.

Do-it-yourself paint touch-up may be more affordable than hiring a professional. However, like most things, the results may not live up to your expectations. Consider all of your options before jumping in with repairing your car’s paint job.