Five minute fixes: car care and repair on a budget
<p>All those seemingly unimportant cosmetic problems with your car can add up when it is time to sell.</p>
<p>Here’s how to fix a range of automobile problems yourself quickly and efficiently.</p>
<p><strong>A rock chipped my windshield</strong></p>
<p><strong><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844627/car-fix1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/072bedc1b8dc487db1b4c594c466831c" /></strong></p>
<p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>
<p>A pebble tumbles out of a dump truck on the highway, your windshield smacks it at the maximum speed limit and your day is ruined.</p>
<p>Not necessarily – small chips and bullseye cracks are easy to repair.</p>
<p>First, keep dust, mud, bird droppings, and such out of the crack, because they will interfere with the repair.</p>
<p>So pull over and put some clear plastic tape over the windshield crack until you can make your permanent fix.</p>
<p>Then tend to the crack as soon as possible.</p>
<p>Changes in temperature and everyday vibration caused by driving can worsen the crack.</p>
<p>Swing by an auto parts store and pick up a clear epoxy repair kit designed specifically for windshields.</p>
<p>They can be pretty cheap.</p>
<p>Apply the adhesive according to the package directions.</p>
<p>Do-it-yourself fixes won’t work well for cracks larger than, say, 30 centimetres.</p>
<p>For those, you’ll need to have the windshield replaced by a professional.</p>
<p><strong>Someone scratched my car's finish</strong></p>
<p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844626/car-fix2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/3e85e8f3a66547b584c27c853f42ce0a" /></p>
<p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>
<p>Rub your finger gently over the scratch.</p>
<p>If you can’t feel the indentation made by the scratch, you’re in luck.</p>
<p>Only the surface clear coat was marred, not the paint layer.</p>
<p>Go to an auto parts store, pick up a polish (many feature scratch-removing properties), and follow the package directions. If you can feel the scratch on the surface of your car’s finish, buffing and polishing will not help.</p>
<p>The only solution is to paint over the scratch to make it less noticeable. Browse through the fingernail polish available in your home, a drugstore, or a department store.</p>
<p>When you find a shade that matches the colour of your car, delicately paint over the scratch and let it dry. If you mess up the patch job, dab on a little nail polish remover with a cotton swab to clean it up, let it dry, and start over.</p>
<p>Auto parts stores also sell touch-up marking pens and coloured polishes that will disguise a scratch temporarily.</p>
<p><strong>I ripped my car seat</strong></p>
<p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844625/car-fix3.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/fd2b5cefab3b4d0ebfcd00ba7a3b4337" /></p>
<p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>
<p>If you’ve cut a gash in your car’s leather or vinyl upholstery, find duct tape that matches the colour of the upholstery and cut a piece just large enough to cover the rip.</p>
<p>Auto parts stores sell duct tape in a wide range of colours.</p>
<p>The tape will mask the wound until you can get it permanently repaired at an upholstery repair shop.</p>
<p>Auto parts stores also sell colour-matching adhesive repair kits for leather and vinyl upholstery.</p>
<p>Duct tape and do-it-yourself repair kits don’t work quite as well on fabric, however.</p>
<p>For large fabric tears, you’ll need the help of an auto upholstery shop.</p>
<p><strong>I'm worried my child's car seat isn't secure</strong></p>
<p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844624/car-fix4.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/180a8c402ef2422f84dc23ff6eea0bbe" /></p>
<p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>
<p>You never want to put your kids in harm’s way. But an incorrectly installed car seat is doing just that.</p>
<p>To find out if your car seat is up to snuff, take a quick ride to your local police station.</p>
<p>Most police are trained to spot a faulty car seat and will be able to secure yours properly.</p>
<p>In addition, many libraries, doctor’s offices, day care centres, and other places where kids congregate hold free car-seat checkups.</p>
<p>Find out when the next one is scheduled.</p>
<p><strong>My car has been dented</strong></p>
<p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844623/car-fix5.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/3bb486a27ec24dd0a80a484bb6412906" /></p>
<p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>
<p>Here are two ways to fix a dent without taking your car to the shop:</p>
<p>If the dent is on or near the wheel arch, you’ll be able to tap it out with a hammer, but only after you unscrew the black plastic shields under the arch.</p>
<p>To do this, first make sure the emergency brake is in place. Next, using a small screwdriver, unscrew the four to six screws holding the shield in place.</p>
<p>Depending on the size of the dent, use either your fingers or a hammer to knock out the dent. Of course, if the dent is on the plastic shield itself, there is no need to take it off.</p>
<p>Just get underneath it and push out the plastic with your fingers.</p>
<p>If the dent is on the side of your car, you’ll need a little suction to repair it. Find anything with a suction cup attached.</p>
<p>Many automatic pencil sharpeners, for instance, have them on their bases. Most auto supply stores sell suction cups for pulling out dents. They cost about $7. Take the cup, place it directly over the dent, and pull it off.</p>
<p>That wonderful pop sound indicates you’ve pulled the body back into shape.</p>
<p><strong>I got car wax on my bumper</strong></p>
<p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844622/car-fix6.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/ac244476aab44f5fb6bc2029ccfb13d1" /></p>
<p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>
<p>Until they make car wax that easily comes off plastic car components, thank goodness for WD-40. Spray a little of it on the wax and wipe it off with a rag or an old toothbrush.</p>
<p>This also works for wax that gets into crevices.</p>
<p>All those seemingly unimportant cosmetic problems with your car can add up when it is time to sell.</p>
<p>Here’s how to fix a range of automobile problems yourself quickly and efficiently.</p>
<p><strong>I can't jump-start a dead car battery</strong></p>
<p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844621/car-fix7.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/17ce1b848abf4f9b82939a62ca47590c" /></p>
<p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>
<p>You found a kind soul to help you cable up your reluctant car battery, but the engine still won’t turn over. Don’t despair.</p>
<p>The good news is that a car battery might get really, really weak, but it’s never completely dead.</p>
<p>If your jump-start isn’t working and there’s a lot of corrosion around the battery terminals where you attach the cables, pour a can of cola on the corroded area.</p>
<p>The acid in the cola will dissolve the corrosion, improving your connection and increasing your odds of a successful jump-start.</p>
<p>The cola also contains electrolytes, which will help improve the electrical flow.</p>
<p>Once you get home, wash the battery with a little bit of water to get rid of the cola residue.</p>
<p><strong>My car is specked with stubborn sap</strong></p>
<p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844620/car-fix8.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/7aecadfd8b7e4b2c96b7735abc475dc5" /></p>
<p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>
<p>Soap and water won’t remove sap stuck to the finish of your car.</p>
<p>But there is a simple solution.</p>
<p>Pour a drop of rubbing alcohol directly on the sap spot, rub with your fingertips, and watch the marks disappear.</p>
<p>No need to rinse, either.</p>
<p>The alcohol will evaporate.</p>
<p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">This article first appeared in </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/true-stories-lifestyle/five-minute-fixes-car-care-and-repair-budget" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Reader’s Digest</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, </span><a rel="noopener" href="http://readersdigest.innovations.com.au/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&utm_medium=articles&utm_campaign=RDSUB&keycode=WRA87V" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">here’s our best subscription offer.</span></a></em></p>
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