Car Maintenance

Having a new paint job is like starting over with your car. It's fresh and new, ready for you to make sure it never gets chipped, scratched or damaged. Caring for the clear coat on that paint job...

Touch up paint comes in small bottles. A small brush is attached to the cap, used for applying the paint. You can purchase Toyota factory touch up paint from your nearby Toyota dealer. You can...

If you'd like to know the original paint color of a vehicle to repaint or touch up scrapes, one of the ways to find out is by looking up the Vehicle Identification Number, more commonly referred...

When you are painting your house and you spill paint on your car, it can be a frustrating experience to remove it. The correct way to remove the paint is to use car polish cutting cream and a...

After applying liquid or paste wax to a vehicle, it is common to have some product find its way into the cracks and crevices created by moldings, door handles, emblems and trim. When liquid or...

Whether you want a camouflage vehicle for hunting, showing support for the military, hiding dirt from off-roading,or expressing your personality, there is no need to hire a professional and pay...

It's not uncommon for vinyl trim in automobiles to get painted at some point during ownership. Often, owners want to change the color of their interior trim and end up using a vinyl spray paint...

A car's paint job is one of the most readily noticeable facts about it. People might notice that it's a car or a truck or an SUV, but they'll often refer to it by its color. A lot of time and...

Cutting cream, a kind of car polish, can remove paint from painted surfaces on your automobile without damaging the factory paint. If you can remove the paint while it is still wet, with a clean...

Paint spilled or deliberately sprayed on your vehicle (due to vandalism) presents an interesting challenge for removal. You must be able to remove the paint without removing the factory finish as...

Hard water spots, while unsightly, are not permanently damaging to automotive paint. They are usually the result of incomplete or improper drying of your vehicle. When water is allowed to air-dry...

Detailing your vehicle can be a relaxing experience, but that delight can quickly turn to anger if you spill motor oil on your paint. Although it's not going to damage the finish if it's quickly...

Rust problems on a car can be tricky to solve. Rust is like cancer: if you don't catch it early enough, the rust spread and will completely destroy the metal body of the vehicle. This typically...

Choosing a new color to paint your car is a relatively easy task. With color guides available at auto paint companies and at online sources such as MAACO.com, you can compare colors and find a hue...

Automotive trim is typically made of ABS plastic. Over time, UV light from the sun can case trim to fade or crack, or both. While restoring the trim in some cases is not possible, you can bring...

If your car paint is faded and dull, there is still hope for it, particularly if it is an older paint job that does not have a clearcoat. Over time, automotive paint oxidizes from exposure to...

If you wish to customize your car to add a style and design that is out of the ordinary, you might consider painting lace on your car. Doing so can cover up a bad paint job or simply add flair to...

Pitch, in automotive detailing, refers to the sticky residue often left by pine (and other) trees. Pitch adheres to car paint readily; and once the sap has dried, it becomes hard to eliminate. If...

Exhaust manifolds are bolted up to the outlet side of an engine and, as such, are responsible for evacuating the motor's exhaust gasses. Because they are located in the hot, oily confines of the...

Vinyl is a nice durable material that looks great when it's new, but can fade with time. Fortunately, it is a relatively simple matter to paint the vinyl armrest in a car interior (or even in a...

Black cars hide dirt well, but eventually they will lose their new car look. You may notice a build-up of specs on your car. While dirt and debris on the outside can be washed off, if it has made...

When it comes to preserving the cosmetic condition of your car, the paint is one of the most important aspects of it. A nicely preserved paint job looks great and is a joy to regularly wash. A...

One of the most common car ailments is the eventual appearance of rust. Over time, the elements wear away a car's protective top coat. Along with scratches and dents that can expose the metal...

Car paint colors may seem to be the same, but car manufacturers actually use specific tints of paint, which are categorized by a proprietary paint code. The format of this code differs from...

Brighten up your old or dingy vinyl seats by working with the same products professional car restoration companies do. Vinyl cleansers, primers and color coatings are available for the retail...

The process of painting a car, whether at the factory where it is being built or many years later as part of a restoration, is a complex series of steps. Each coat of paint must be carefully...

Painting a car is one of the best ways to restore it to its original brilliance or give it a completely new, custom look. However, paint jobs can be expensive, with many auto shops charging...

Touch-up paint is great for covering your car's scratches. The paint will help to prevent the metal from rusting. But you don't want to overdo it and leave paint on areas that still have clear...

Fiberglass is durable material used for many applications, one of the most common of which are fiberglass bumpers. Over time, though, the paint on bumpers can fade, requiring that they be...

Paint that accidentally gets onto the clear coat of your vehicle should be removed as quickly as possible. Flecks of paint can ruin an otherwise good paint job. Fortunately, a product called...

Yellow road paint sticks to vehicles quite easily. If you drive through road construction when lines are being repainting on the road, there is an excellent chance you'll end up with some paint on...

If you drive through a construction area while the roads are being painted, there is a high probability you'll end up with road paint on your tires. Road paint, usually white or yellow, will...

If you accidentally get paint on your car--paint that's not supposed to be there--you'll want to remove it right away. Surface paint, or "overspray" as it is sometimes called, can ruin a perfectly...

Getting highway paint splattered on your car is awful. Not only does it mar the car's paint job, but it's hard to remove without damaging that paint. Fortunately, detailing products on the market...

Making black car paint shine is actually a function of car polish. Many individuals mistakenly believe that car wax makes black paint shine. But the wax only protects the clear coat. Keeping black...

Car paint will oxidize if you don't wax it regularly. The oxidation happens as a result of the sun damaging the clear coat of the paint. Once the paint has deteriorated significantly, you won't be...

Oxygenation on a car's paint happens primarily from exposure to UV light. The paint will begin to fade, and there may be "patches" on the paint where it appears as though a layer of clear coat or...

Adhesive on the finish of your car left over from stickers, removed or lost trim, or even an accident can be difficult to remove cleanly without damaging the paint. All it takes is a little time...

Painting a car is a great way to give it a custom look or restore its original beauty. But professional paint jobs can be expensive, with many auto shops charging upwards of $1,000 for a full,...

If a car's paint job gets chipped and the bare metal underneath isn't protected, rust can build up on the metal. If the rust is left untreated, it can spread and eventually eat through the metal,...

If a car's paint is not properly cared for, over time it can become faded and dull, particularly if it is an older car that does not have a clear coat. If a car is not garaged, the sun can damage...

Painting interior trim on a car is great way to either change its appearance or restore it to like-new condition. Vinyl paint can be used on vinyl interior parts and plastic or metal trim pieces...

A new paint job is one of the best ways to spruce up an old car and one of the final steps of a complete restoration job. Automotive painting can be expensive, with some shops charging more than...

A freshly cleaned car looks beautiful, is eye-catching and makes the owner feel proud. If the car has been cleaned on a hot day or hasn't been properly dried, water stains may appear on the paint....

Removing specks from car paint is a good idea when you want to keep your car looking clean. Specks from road tar and other debris can become embedded into the clear coat of your car's paint job,...

Paint codes or "paint color codes"---imprinted on a label or plate on a vehicle by the manufacturer---serve as a reference for vehicle owners, dealers and professional vehicle painters/detailers...

You have your car for years and still love it. Overtime, the paint on your car can look dull and plain due to time and the elements. Here is how to restore life and luster into an old paint job.

Whether you are putting on the candy paint for the first time or performing maintenance to it, once you have the artistry complete and sanded, you will want to give it a nice shine, or even that...

Car paint looks fantastic when the vehicle is new, but it can fade and become dull over time. It also can become damaged from scratches, nicks and bird droppings that are not removed promptly....

Touching up your car can greatly improve its overall appearance, often restoring it to its original look. Painting your car with aerosol paint can also be a way of artistically renovating your...