Hail Damage?

Did you know that CARSTAR Auto Body Repair Experts can help with hail damage? In some cases we can use a process called PDR (Paintless Dent Repair). See previous post. If your vehicle has been damaged by the recent hail storms call CARSTAR, then “Relax, We’ll Take It From Here!”

Caring For Your Convertible Top

How To Care for Your Convertible Top

Convertible top care made easy!

A good convertible top cleaner and protectant will prolong the beauty and function of your convertible top. Whether it’s a fabric convertible top or vinyl top, it will benefit from regular maintenance. You’ll find that having a convertible is just as carefree and fun – even more so – when you have a clean, well-protected top. You can achieve proper top care in just a few easy steps.

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Vinyl Tops Regular cleaning of your vinyl top is as easy as washing your car. Use a gentle car shampoo, like Pinnacle Bodywork Shampoo, and we recommend the Green Long-Handle Tire & Wheel Brush with its feathered bristles to free the dirt from the textured vinyl of your convertible top. Wash the top just as you would the rest of the vehicle. Avoid shampoos that improve gloss. They are good for the paint, but unnecessary for the top. If your vinyl top is particularly dirty, you can use a cleaner to break up the grease and films that can plague your vinyl top. 303 Convertible Top Cleaner can be used on both vinyl and fabric, and it contains no soaps or detergents. RaggTopp makes an equally effective convertible top cleaner that not only cleans; it also inhibits the growth of mildew. Spray the top with water and then spray with a cleaner. Use a brush to gently scrub the vinyl. Rinse thoroughly. Regular cleaning of your vinyl top is as easy as washing your car. After you’ve cleaned the vinyl, use a vinyl protectant to preserve the color and texture of your convertible top. Skipping this step leads to the faded, cracked tops you see on the road from time to time. RaggTopp Vinyl Protectant comes highly recommended from the top manufacturers of vinyl products, like Haartz and Colgan Custom Bras. It has the best UV protection of any product on the market, and it repels dirt, grease, and oil. It doesn’t make your vinyl top glossy or greasy-looking. It will have the natural matte sheen of new vinyl. Your vinyl top will last longer if you protect it from the start. There’s not much you can do to reverse damage once it’s already been done. Proper vinyl care is as simple as weekly washes with a gentle shampoo, monthly cleanings with a vinyl top cleaner and monthly application of a vinyl top protectant.

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Fabric Tops Fabric top maintenance is essentially the same as vinyl top maintenance, except you want to select products formulated for fabric. Convertible top cleaners are usually suitable for either vinyl or fabric. Use a moderately stiff brush, like our Green Long-Handle Tire & Wheel Brush to loosen dirt from the fibers. It’s a marvel of modern science that fabric tops repel water as well as they do, but all good things must come to an end. Fabric tops are chemically treated during manufacturing to repel water and contamination, but these chemicals diminish as time passes. Exactly how long the factory repellant will last is dependent on usage and the environment, so it’s best to keep an eye on your top. Your regular washings should reveal a gradual reduction of water repellence. You’ll want to watch carefully for signs of water puddles or wet spots where water has clearly penetrated the fabric. If you see these signs, it’s time to treat your top. We have found in our testing RaggTopp is one of the top products on the market. We have found in our testing RaggTopp is one of the top products on the market. 303 High Tech Fabric Guard is also a quality product. Either will restore the repellence to factory specifications and keep your fabric top looking good. Be sure to apply protectant to a clean, dry top. Never saturate; light, even coats are always best. Reapply monthly to maintain an optimum level of water repellency.

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Clear Vinyl Windows The windows on convertible tops often age faster than the rest of the top. Clear vinyl is notorious for yellowing, cracking, and scratching. There is a solution, though. Treat the windows with Diamondite Plasti-Care. This is a cleaner and protectant that prevents cracking and maintains clarity. Applying Plasti-Care from the day you buy your convertible is a great way to keep those convertible top windows clean and clear. If you already have damaged windows, Wolfgang Plastik Lens Glaze will remove contamination, lessen the yellowing and minimize or eliminate scratches. Seal the plastic with Wolfgang Plastik Surface Sealant for UV protection and long-lasting clarity.

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/CpI4UtrABE8&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1

 Information from  autogeek.net

 

Protecting Your Car’s Finish

Proper care of your car’s exterior finish is the one of the single most important lessons to learn about ownership, regardless of the cars age. Your car’s paint job is one of the most obvious features and expensive to replace and repair. We can say with absolute certainty that taking the time to learn which products to use and when to use them, will add years to the life and luster of your car’s paint.

1. Always start by properly washing your car using the proper tools. Get a cotton or paint-safe microfiber washing mitt, a 5 gallon bucket and good cleaning products specifically designed for automotive use – Mothers, Meguiars or Stoner would be our suggestions. These companies offer products that are pH balanced, non-detergent formulas that won’t strip off wax, and combine them with lubrication to prevent scratching and conditioners to maintain the shine protection. They are usually gentle on all painted finishes as well as rubber, vinyl, and plastic components.
2. Never skip drying! Drying your vehicle after washing is necessary to prevent water spots – those pesky mineral deposits that etch the outline of a drop of water into your vehicle’s paint. Auto detailing professionals advise using 100% cotton detailing cloths or sheepskin chamois to dry your car – polyester and microfiber can scratch your paint surface. If you want to get more high-tech, many car care product lines have “paint safe” drying towels that are super absorbent and claim to be lint and scratch free. Two products that we like are the P21S Super Absorbing Drying Towel and the Sonus Der Wunder Drying Towel.
3. If a good wash wasn’t enough to get off all the road grime, bug residue, pollution or tree sap, the next step would be to use an Auto Detailing Clay Bar because it “pulls” contamination off the surface without abrasion or scratching. Detailing clay usually comes in a kit with a lubricating spray to protect your paint. You just spray the area to be cleaned, and then glide the clay along the surface of your paint – it will grab anything that protrudes from the surface. Detailing clay is not designed to remove paint scratches or swirl marks. Heavy tar or insect deposits may need to be removed using a specialty solvent.
4. But the paint still looks dull! At this point, you have one problem with three solutions. The problem is old oxidized paint and the solution is either car polish, cleaner or rubbing compound. All three remove unwanted dull paint, but in varying degrees of aggressiveness. Polish removes the least amount of paint for a given application, while rubbing compounds remove the most and cleaners are somewhere in the middle. We recommend starting with an application of polish first before moving on to a cleaner. Rubbing compound is a very aggressive abrasive and you should talk to a professional before giving that a try.
5. Can I wax my car now? Waxing is the most important thing you can do to protect your car’s paint and an absolute “must” if you have just used a polish or cleaner. We suggest a carnauba wax or a paint sealant. Carnauba car wax produces a deep, healthy shine that you can’t attain with a sealant, but only has the longevity of eight to twelve weeks. Paint sealants give you longer lasting protection and will not melt, wash off or wear away for about six months. If you have the time and money, use a paint sealant like Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant and then wax with a product like P21S Concours Carnauba Car Wax.

Tips:

1. Always start your project with the car out of direct sunlight. Make sure the paint is cool to the touch before applying any cleaning product or wax.
2. Spray your car with ample amounts of water before washing. Use the water to spray off dirt and other contaminates that will scratch your car if you immediately start using a sponge and water first.
3. Be sure to wash and rinse in sections so the car wash soap doesn’t dry before being washed off.

Read the manufacturer’s directions on all car care products prior to use.

Above Article from About.com

CARSTAR tip: Never use paper towels on after market tinted windows or plastic interior surfaces. They can leave tiny scratches.

Is Paintless Dent Repair Right For You?

Did you know that CARSTAR offers Paintless Dent Repair? With hail season upon us I thought you might find value in this article.

Paintless Dent Removal. It doesn’t even sound right. Is it really possible to magically repair a dent like hail damage without having to do any paint work at all? I can remember the first time I saw one of these “dent wizards” in action. I was in college and working at a newspaper in Atlanta when a nice pile of large, marble-sized hail fell on the parking lot. The wizard showed up the next day almost as if he had created the storm itself. He set up shop and the hail victims flocked to this guy who was offering to fix their cars for less than a third what a body shop would charge. I couldn’t resist the chance to heckle so I lurked in his repair area while he got to work on the first couple of cars. Wow. At the end of the day I was calling him Merlin, because he was able to use his bag of strange iron tools to rub, massage and tickle the metal on these cars into total submission. It was amazing. So to answer the question — Yes! Paintless dent repair, when performed by the right technician, works quite well! A real money saver. 

article from about.com

Accident Tips

Here are tips for anyone involved in an accident. 

1. Create a collision kit for your car.  Include copies of vehicle registration and insurance verification card, sketch pad and pencil, disposable camera, flares, bottled water and a first aid kit.  For a downloadable accident report form that will help you gather the information at the scene, visit www.carstar.com/resources.
2. Call 911 first.  Provide as much detail as possible about the location of the accident and the condition of those involved. 
3. Remain calm and collected.  Even though you may be scared or even injured, it’s important to stay as calm as possible.  Don’t say the accident was your fault or make any statement that might be used against you later.  Be tactful and courteous, even if you’re angry.
4. Turn off your car and avoid danger.  Turn off the engine and leave the car where it is if you feel it is safe.  Use the hazards if it is dark.  If the car is in danger of being hit, drive slowly to the side of the road or a well-lit parking lot.  Warn other motorists to proceed around the accident with caution.
5. Assess your condition.  If you think you’re hurt in any way, stay in your car.  Only accept medical help from a professional — and provide medical help to others ONLY if you’re trained to do so.  Provide honest, detailed information to medical personnel so they can treat you.
6. Call a friend or family member.  A close friend or family member can provide support and help collect the accident details.  If you are transported for medical care, they can remain behind at the scene.
7. Record the accident details.  Photograph the cars involved and traffic conditions.  Sketch what happened, including street names, road signs and details on car movements.  Get the names, addresses, phone numbers and license plates of those involved.
8. Identify the witnesses.  Look for other drivers and bystanders who may have seen the accident.  Get their names, addresses, phone numbers and their recollection of the accident.
9. Have a collision plan in place.  Know where you’d like to have your car repaired ahead of time so you don’t have to make a sudden decision.  CARSTAR Auto Body Repair Experts offers high-quality, reliable repair service in 27 states and 10 Canadian provinces.  Just call 1-800-CARSTAR when you have an accident and they will send the tow truck, contact your insurance company, arrange for a rental car and repair your car.

10.  Collect your personal items.  If your car is being towed, make sure you’ve collected your valuables, electronics, briefcase, purse, vehicle information and any other items you may need while your car is being repaired.

NWI CARSTAR Joins Twitter & FaceBook

Liss CARSTAR and John’s CARSTAR are excited to offer interaction with our “FB fans“, ”Twitter Followers” and customers.  We encourage you to join us!