3 ultimate maintenance tips
We spoke to Bill Davidge, National Technical Manager for CARSTAR Automotive Canada, and asked him to tell us about the 3 tips no one thinks about, but that can maintain your car in the long run (and save you a lot of money!).
Here are his picks!
Rust proofing, a foolproof tip
People think of rust proofing as something to do for winter, but it’s actually a 4-season preoccupation.
Having your car rust proofed can save you repairs and mechanical troubles. The panels we don’t see under the car protect some important mechanical elements such as brake and fuel lines. Rust proofing them will thus be a extra protection to those.
Before you go ahead with a rust treatment: check with your car manufacturer, especially if you have a warranty with them. Some car manufacturers could void your warranty if you do an unapproved treatment on the car. Things should be fine, but better safe than sorry!
When you get there, signal the garage if you’ve had any collisions, or been in an accident. These parts will be more prone to rust, and they can give them extra attention when rust proofing the vehicle.
After you’ve done the rust proofing, make sure you keep the warranty in mind. Some methods or products have a lifetime warranty. Which means that if you have your car regularly inspected, depending on the conditions that apply, you claim your warranty if rust appears. Don’t miss the deadline for a check-up, and you could be rust free for life, and at no extra-cost!
Wax it!
Waxing your vehicle is the key to a shiny look while also helping the finish.
But beware: it’s not the same thing as polishing the car. While waxing is basically adding a little boost to the shine & finish along with a layer of protection against bird droppings and other environmental fall out, polishing can damage the protective coat.
If your older relative tells you that he used to polish his car in 1965 and it was all fine, tell him things have changed. Manufacturers put less paint and less finish on cars for different reasons, and it’s now easier to damage the finish and to expose your paint to elements like the sun, which cause the finish to break down completely which will require repainting.
If you do decide to polish, stay away from sharp edges! These are the places where trouble could happen! Master tip: cover them with masking tape to avoid any blunder.
To summarize, waxing is probably your best option if you’re not a car paint pro. But don’t despair, you can impress these people another way! By telling them that if they leave some wax on the plastic parts of the car, a simple pencil eraser will get rid of the white marks!
Glass chip, don’t linger
It’s happened to the best of us: a chip on the windshield. If it’s smaller than a toonie, a garage should be able to repair it without changing the whole part.
Why? Because the front and back windows of your car are actually composed of 3 parts: 2 laminated sheets of glass and a plastic sheet at the centre. It makes sure the whole thing will stay together and not shatter under small impacts. (unlike your car side windows, which are tempered glass and could break in a ton of pieces).
While this helps your windshield hold still, it makes for a cheap repair since you don’t have to replace a whole pane of glass. But hurry up!
The goal is to get it to a garage ASAP so they can repair using this method, and to make sure it doesn’t show. The more you expose this little chip to the elements, the more dirt particles get lodged in there. They are to blame when the repair is not 100% invisible afterwards. Pro tip? Cover the chip with a piece of tape to protect it from dirt, and get to the garage!
Another reason to rush to the garage is that the glass elements are structural parts of your car. They don’t just stand there, they are also part of its whole balance. If they are weakened, the whole vehicle is!
This article is part of our car information hub
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