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08 Nov 2006 08:28 PM Fix Your Car Yourself!
Repair Dents You'll probably need a professional to repair some dents, but there are products on the market--and in your home that enable you to repair others on your own. Buy a dent kit. Try Simoniz's Pops-a-Dent ($20; www.asseenontv.com ). Twist the knob on teh arched bridge tool to make a dent pop out. Or get Ding King, which also pops out dents($30; www.asseenontv.com ). If you want to go cheaper here is the way. Plunge out dents. If you get to the dent soon after it happened and it's easy to reach, place a plunger over the dent, puch the plunger (slowly, to avoid causing further damage) and pull it back. Another cheap way is ... Dry ice. Once the car metal has been exposed to the sun, hold the dry ice on the dent (wear insulated gloves) and the dent will pop out. Your cost $30.00! Fix Chipping Paint Before you invest in a new paint job, try touching up cracked or peeling spots with easy-to-apply paint. Paint over the area. Find the right paint to match your car. (Use the car's color code, gound in teh ovner's manual.) Then buy it at an auto store or www.paintscratch.com . To prevent rust, clean the area before painting. Contact the dealership. If the paint chips again, call teh dealer, who may be able to fix the problem for less than what an auto-body shop will charge. Your cost $10.00! Remove Rust Many cars get a little rust. You can often elminate it without professional help. Carefully vuff rust out. Use soap and water as a lubricant and then gently rub steel wool or a ball of tim foil against surface rust. Clean off the area and coat it with car wax. But if you touch the rusted area and metal pieces come off or the area looks rotted, rust has probably already eaten its way through the metal. You'll need to take the car to a professional to replace this area. Your Cost FREE! Eliminate Scratches Since most scrapes only pentrate the clear coating on teh car, you'll be able to remove them. Rub away scratches. Lightly apply a rubbing compound, like 3m's Perfect-It II Rubbing Compound ($10 for 16 oz.; www.autobarn.net ). Paint over scratches. Buy a small tube of paint the exact color of your car. Apply the paint carefully with a toothpick or buy paint in a pen for percise application. Cover the scratch quickly, before rust can develop. Fix your bumper. Repair scratches on a bumper's plastic covering with the Repair Doctor's Bumper Repair Kit ($15; www.asseenontv.com ). Your cost $15.00!
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