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Alloy wheels can make quite an impact to the overall look of a car. Further, it can make a big difference to the functioning of the car.

Over the years, car manufacturers have taken a cue from the popularity of specialized alloy wheels and have opted to install modified wheels for their stock cars. Alloy’s are now a common factor in most cars but along with its growing popularity comes several concerns regarding its maintenance.

Alloy wheel repair

It is a common misconception that alloy wheel repair is almost next to impossible. Most people believe that it can be a complete waste of effort and money. However, alloy wheels can actually be repaired to a great extent. Alloy repair is in fact a well studied operation. Many professional wheel repair companies can undertake the job perfectly.

Common alloy wheel problems

The most significant of damages that can affect an alloy wheel are radial runout, lateral runout and cracks. These damages will not only make the wheel look ugly but it can also greatly affect the car’s driving performance. Let’s take a closer look!

Radial runout affects the balance of the tire across its diameter. This results in the tire moving up and down with respect to its central axis while rotating. Lateral runout is damage that affects the balance of the tire across its width. Lateral run out is often left undiagnosed as the tire can look true but balance testing will prove otherwise. In the case of lateral run out if there is significant damage it will often be irreparable. Cracks, depending on the location can be repaired but in certain extreme cases it is safer to get a replacement alloywheel than to use one that has undergone alloywheel repair.

Repair for non-forged wheels

Alloy – wheel repair is often recommended for wheels that are non-forged. Forged alloy wheels are tougher and can also be more expensive. Most of the time, forged wheel repair merely consists of having the wheel refinished. Two-piece and three-piece alloy wheels are also more prone to damage as the outer lips of the wheel are commonly made of softer alloy materials.

Alloy wheel repair- the right timing

The best time to plan for alloy wheel repair is during the warmer months. Normally, alloy repair can take anywhere from three to five hours depending on the extent of the damage. If you want to minimize the damage, use high pressure especially when you are using low profile tires. However, it is important to make sure that the wear of the tire is still even.

Save money with alloy-wheel repair

Alloy’s are an expensive investment. Fortunately, alloy repair companies offer you the option to get your wheels to look and function as good as new.

There are so many different types of automotive leather seat repair, all with different situations and applications. There are holes, scratches, gouges, cuts, scrapes, worn or cracked, and just down right grungy looking leather seats. I think I got them all covered, well in this article we’re going to talk about how to repair a small hole in a leather seat lean back, for those of you who don’t know what a lean back is well it’s the upper part of the seat.

Now when I say small this can apply for a tear up to 1 1/2″ to 2″, probably might go a little bigger, but lets not push it, if it needs to go to the upholstery shop for an insert then that would be better then a crappy looking leather repair on something that probably wouldn’t hold anyways. When in doubt, insert it.

Prepping a seat is the key to success in any leather repair, and a lasting leather dye job. So, prep the whole lean back, and while your at it just clean the whole seat, why not, but you don’t have to, with your prepping solution removing all grease, dirt, and grime. You need a clean surface and a well prepped area to work with. When I prep, I use a solution of rubbing alcohol, acetone, ammonia, and a small amount of TSP substitute, with water in a spray bottle. Spray the seat with the solution and scrub with a scotch brite pad to scuff the leather seat for leather dye adhesion and remove any grime that’s on the seat, then wipe clean with a clean lint free towel. Once your clean, apply a grip base primer to the seat, I usually in most cases will dye the entire lean back when I do a repair or the entire seat, but sometimes it’s not necessary, so you may not need to prime the whole seat, but do clean the seat good this cuts down on the amount of leather dye used and the ending result will be a premium leather repair.

Now to the hole. Lets say it’s in a V shape, just for example. Like where you’ve gott’n out of the seat with something in your back pocket, ouch! I know the feeling, back in college I had a 1986 Mustang SVO, very rare and nice car (man I miss that car) and I got out to go to class with a pen in my back pocket and ripped about a 2″ V shape in the seat, I about puked right there, and of course at the time I didn’t know anything about leather repair. But now I do and here it is.

Sand the area around the tear with a 240 grit sandpaper, this gives a little more for the low heat compound to grip to. Take a piece of underpatch material and slide the under patch under the tear with a pair of tweezers, allowing about a 1/2″ on the inside all the way around. I usually cut my patches in a circular shape, it makes it a little easier to slide under. You can use different types of under patches, I like the kind that is coated on one side with a heat activated glue.

Now take a drop of leather glue and spread a thin coat on the patch on the underside of the leather repair area. If the leather will lay down smoothly and match up then great, but sometimes it just won’t. In this case we will use combo of the glue and your low cure leather repair compound and smooth a small amount over the patch then lay the leather down. Spread a small amount of low heat compound over the area and smooth it out with your pallet knife, remembering to keeping your area as small as possible, the smaller the better. Now heat the area with your heat gun, hold the heat gun out away from the leather repair and slowly move it into the repair area, this will give you just a little more control of the heat, you don’t want to burn and shrink the leather. The idea is to cure the compound and get it to adhere before you cook the leather, it’s a skill thing, practice makes perfect. Once the compound is cured immediately press the grain pad in your palm onto the repair, don’t press to hard, but firm.

At this time using a wet paper towel apply a small amount of grip base to the repair area and dye with your color matched water based leather dye. Dry thin coats of dye, not wet. Then reapply and smooth out another thin coat of compound. Heat again and grain then dye, get the idea, what you are doing is building the repair up. Thin coats of compound applied and cured then reapplied, are much better then one thick coat. Once you have it built up and looking nice, blend the repair into the rest of the seat if needed, by applying thin coats of leather dye to finish it off. Drying between coats of dye with a hairdryer, and one great tip is rubbing the leather dye with your hands to force the dye into the creases of the leather helps a ton, don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. I say that but I’m allergic to rubber gloves, it bites, so I come home every day with dye all over my hands, it’s a pain, but I love the work and the job looks better with a little bit of love rubbed on those leather seat repairs. After the dye is cured, apply a top coat of satin or dull leather clear top coat mixed with a bit of slip additive added for the soft feel. Dry the seat thoroughly, then apply your leather conditioner to finish and give the seat the juice it needs and a great feel and look for you.

Now there are so many other variations to this fix, sometimes I will have to use an air dry leather repair compound over the top of the low heat compound to smooth out the leather repair. Sanding it with a 400 grit sandpaper until it looks right. You can also turn your air down on your paint gun until little droplets are coming out to give it a textured look, drying between coats. Texture coatings, can be used, but if you do it right the gun effect works great. When I do a leather repair I won’t give up until it looks perfect. Patience is a virtue, right. Don’t get in a hurry, this will only frustrate you more and then you really got issues.

Leather repair is a craft and profession. The dyes and compounds I use are top quality and are made to last. Giving you a lasting leather seat repair, and comfort knowing you have a leather repair that will last and look great for years to come.

I hope this was some help to you, in the coming months there will be more articles like this one but on different situations on leather repair, liked I talked about in the first. There are so many different ways that a leather seat can be damaged, we spend a lot of time in our cars and well “sh$$ happens”, right. So check back to see my next article on automotive leather seat repairs. If you have anything you would like to ask feel free to shoot me some comments on Leather Repair – How To Repair Torn Leather Seat.

Have you ever seen a person get suckered into paying more than they should have for an imaginary auto repair? Well, it happened to me. I won’t use the name of the place here. All I’m going to say is that I was taking my vehicle in for a standard oil change and left this particular place about $1,000 later. I had been led to believe that there was more wrong with my car than there really was. Truth be told, my car was brand new and there was nothing wrong with it. Shame on me, I guess- but shame on those people for trying (and successfully) fooling another customer.

It is not unusual for car owners to end up paying a lot of money to have repairs made on their vehicles. Cars require a lot of maintenance and if this maintenance is overlooked the resulting repairs can be an extreme drain on finances. While many expensive car charges are perfectly legitimate and expected there are a few auto mechanics that will attempt to take advantage of the fact that many consumers expect to spend a lot of money on car repairs. Each year car owners are over charged thousands of dollars for vehicle repairs. In order to avoid being taken advantage of there are a few tricks that consumers must be aware of.

Be wary of “specials” on oil changes, tune-ups, and other regular maintenance services. Many unscrupulous auto repair shops will use these advertised prices to attract new customers looking for a deal. Once the customer shows up to the shop the mechanic will try to separate the car owner from their vehicle and then later tell the car owner that there are many things wrong with the vehicle in order to charge more for repairs. Usually, when a scam is under way the auto repair shop will attempt to frighten the car owner into having the repairs done immediately by claiming that they will face dire consequences if they attempt to leave before having the repairs made. Don’t fall for this trap, however. If you are inexperienced when it comes to your knowledge of vehicles, don’t allow someone else to take advantage. Bring someone with you who knows a thing or two about cars, this way they catch the employee in a lie and/or give you advice. If you can’t bring someone, have your phone handy and simply tell the employee that you don’t feel comfortable with making a decision until you speak to someone more knowledgeable about car repairs.

Another way to spot repair fraud in the making is auto repair shops being unwilling to put estimates in writing. Most legitimate auto mechanics have no problem with providing written estimates prior to beginning the work. On the other hand, repair shops that are hoping to use fraud to get more money out of customer than necessary will only provide a verbal quote. This will allow the auto mechanic to complete any work they wish (or charge for parts and work not completed) without the customers consent. When this happens most customers have no choice but to pay for the repairs they did not want.

Auto repair is a necessity, right? Cars need to be maintained, they need repairs, and they need service. Certainly convenience is nice, but it’s an added bonus. One would think that convenience and the necessity of auto repair are indeed complementary – albeit rare. What few understand, however, is that the auto repair industry charges for convenience. In other words, you could and should be able to get your car repaired for less – sometimes lots less – but because you broke down here and not there, you pay more.

Repair prices vary greatly from shop to shop for a numbers of reasons (discussed at length in RepairTrust literature). The focus here is the mind-set in the auto repair industry that it is ok to charge customers extra for convenience.

For perspective, here’s a break down of an actual transaction.

After a careful analysis of a $1600 auto repair bill, it was clear that $200 of it was excessive. The excessive charges were as follows: an extra $10 for a battery (compared to MSRP – Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price), an extra $125 for an alternator (compared to MSRP), and an additional $65 in labor (compared to industry guidelines).

While this particular customer was a busy executive and was glad for the quick service and convenience, what about the single mom struggling to make ends meet? An additional $200 in repairs might mean a late rent check.

Convenience charges are extremely common, but hard to prove. The justifications for these charges are numerous. They include, but are not limited to the following:

Business is Slow – see the article: Auto Repair Costs – The Worst Time of Year For Car Repair (@ EzineArticles.com or RepairTrust.com) for an in-depth discussion of how car repair prices are manipulated

Overhead Expenses – the cost of doing business is repeatedly passed on to the car repair customer, very often unjustifiably

Competition – to keep a competitive edge against competition, shops will mark up prices stating that the client would have paid even more somewhere else. They will also use their own inferior parts from their own suppliers, despite the availability of better quality parts for less money.

Profit Margins – in the name of customer convenience, prices are frequently jacked up to maintain profit margins. For example, a repair shop will tack on an additional 20% to MSRP for a part that you could get for 20% less at a dealer.

Ego - you will pay extra for ego-inflated diagnosis and repair because most technicians are ill-qualified and thus self-conscious, which in turn fills them with feelings of grandiosity when they actually fix something right – how convenient for you!

What should you do…

In an industry that lacks standardization (that’s adhered to anyway) and an effective regulatory system, the auto repair customer stands alone.

Here are a few quick tips if you suspect convenience charges.

1) Get it in writing – get your estimates and repair orders in a detailed printout to enable you to scrutinize the charges

2) Ask questions – if you don’t understand a charge – ask. Don’t just pay and “assume” that you were treated fairly

3) Call another service center and request an estimate

4) Compare part prices with MSRP

5) Don’t be afraid to negotiate – ask for a discount if you’re having lots of repairs done. Check for specials, senior citizens discounts, coupons…etc

6) Be nice, sincere, and shrewd. Repair industry folks respond much more positively to someone who is sincere, and genuine. But be cautious and question everything.

It’s clear that auto repair is a necessity. The nature of the automobile and the conditions under which it must perform demands it. Car repair and maintenance is vital for the community and the economic structure of the world in which we live. Yet, the industry is run and controlled by a pack of wolves. Since we’re not talking about running into a convenience store for an over-priced gallon of milk, perhaps a little more help (by way of transparent pricing standards) from Uncle Sam is in order.

Nobody hopes to get into a car accident. Its not on someone’s “to do” list at the beginning of their week. Nevertheless, it does happen and when it does you want to be able to get your vehicle repaired to its original condition in a timely manner. Finding the right auto body repair shop will ensure just that.

Here are some things to look for when you are selecting a collision repair facility:

1) Do They Have the Latest Tools

The cars of today have a lot of computer components in them. They are also more advanced and new to be diagnosed properly before work can even be started on them. Smaller auto body repair shops may not be able to afford all the expensive machinery needed to work on some of the newer vehicles. Make sure they are prepared.

2) What Does Their Repair Shop Look Like

Take a look at their auto body repair shop and make a mental note about what you see. Are employees wearing uniforms. Do you see a different variety of tools for different applications. Is it neat and orderly? You want to do business with a professional auto body company that is organized and a filthy shop with parts and tools all over place does not say that.

3) Do They Handle the Little Things

I would ask if they deal with the insurance companies for you and take care of things like getting your car towed and obtaining a rental car. Again, the bigger auto body shops usually have a customer service department that handles this “minor” details while the smaller auto body collision repair shops will not. You will be on your own and I can tell you, from firsthand experience, that an accident is already stressful enough.

4) What is their Current Parts Ordering System

If they cannot get the parts they need in a timely fashion your vehicle will just be sitting in their shop waiting. I have seen cars just sitting for weeks a because an auto body technician could not get the proper part he needed. Having a wide network of quality OEM parts suppliers is important and can be the X factor on how long your vehicle takes to get fixed.

5) Get Tons of Reviews

First, ask your friends family, and co-worker who they have gone with. This is an excellent place to start. They will not recommend someone who was not good to them.

Second, there exist a lot of online local review sites where people can post comments about their opinions and experiences about businesses they have done business with. The major search engines each have their own review places where you can look as well.

By following these five easy steps and asking a lot of questions you will be able to find a good and dependable local auto body repair shop. The whole accident process is stressful and hopefully the phase where you need to get your vehicle repaired will not be one of them.

Cars are expensive. Not just the initial price of the car, but repairs, maintenance, and gasoline can really add up as well. But fortunately, there is a way to save a lot of money on your vehicle. The key to keeping your vehicle expenses low is consistent maintenance. Some people have the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality when it comes to cars. If the car is running fine, they see no reason to spend money on upkeep. Although this might save you a few dollars on an oil change or tire rotation, it will end up costing you big in the long run.

The most obvious part of consistent car maintenance is an oil change. The oil in your car needs to be changed about every 3000 miles. As you drive your vehicle, the oil in your car suspends contaminants so that they don’t form a type of sludge on the engine parts. Over time, the oil becomes saturated with sludge. It should be changed before this happens. Another important maintenance step is tire rotation. The best way to make your tires last is to have them rotated every 6000 miles so that they wear evenly. This will extend the life of the tires. Changing the timing belt is another important maintenance step, but one that will only be needed once or twice in the life of the car. In most medium-sized sedans, timing belts should be replaced about every 70,000 miles, but each car is different. Check the owner’s manual of your vehicle to find out the best time to have yours replaced. By keeping up on these maintenance steps, you will save on costly auto repairs that result from ignoring your car.

There are several reasons why your car’s heater may be blowing cold air, instead of heat. It is important to understand how the heater works in your car before you can begin to try to diagnose why it is not working. First, there is NOT an electric heater element in the heater system in automobiles, like in portable heaters used in the home. The part that transfers heat into the passenger compartment is called a heater core. A heater core can be thought of as a miniature radiator. The car engine’s coolant flows through the heater core while the fan (also called a blower), blows air through the heater core fins. When air blows through the heater core fins, it is warmed, therefore warming the passenger compartment.

Start by checking the coolant. As we already said coolant is what warms the heater core. So if the coolant is low, there may not be a sufficient amount of warmth to transfer heat to the air in the passenger compartment. Since it ’s cold outside, low coolant may not effect the operating temperature of the engine significantly, so you won’t be alerted to a coolant problem by the temperature gage on the instrument panel. Once the coolant is full, feel the heater hoses that go through the firewall. With the engine at normal operating temperature, BOTH of the heater hoses should be hot to the touch. If only one is hot, this indicates there is is a blockage in the heater core or there is air trapped in the heater core. Using a Lisle coolant funnel is helpful in purging the air from the cooling system. If the coolant is really brown, has been neglected, or if “stop leak” has been used at some point, the heater core could be stopped up. The blockage can sometimes be unstopped by removing the heater hoses and using a garden hose with a sprayer to flush the heater core out. If neither of the hoses are hot to the touch, there could also be a malfunctioning heater control valve, if used on the model you’re working on. Check for presence of a heater control valve by following the heater hoses back to the engine. Sometimes, a vacuum line could have a break causing there to be no vacuum to operate the valve. Also it should be noted that if this is your first winter with this car (and you’re unfamiliar with the car’s repair history), the previous owner could have by-passed the heater core because of a leak. When a heater core leaks, usually they wet the passenger side floorboard. The labor cost to change heater cores is usually expensive, so sometimes people will loop the heater hoses and by-pass a leaking heater core instead of repairing it properly.

Next check for proper airflow. After you’re sure the heater core is getting hot water flow, read the following information. Doors within the heater case are either controlled by electric actuators, cables or vacuum motors. Adjust the heat control to both extremes while listening for movement of the blend door. With a cable operated heater door it’s easiest to hear the door thump when it closes. If the door is not operating, find the door that controls the airflow across the heater core. If there is an electric motor that controls the door, tapping on it can sometimes make it work temporarily for testing purposes. A vacuum operated motor needs vacuum to work, so using a handheld vacuum pump for testing is usually recommended. If the vacuum motor does not hold vacuum, the diaphragm is leaking requiring replacement. To go deeper into diagnoses of the control head’s function and diagnosis, specific vehicle repair manual information is needed. But hopefully the basics laid out in this article has helped to get you started on the right track.

Auto warranty companies provide a cheaper alternative when it comes to purchasing an extended service contract. When most people purchase a car from the dealership, they also purchase everything else that is needed to complete the car buying process. Although it is convenient to be able to go to one place for all your automotive needs, this convenience will cost you more money than if you shopped around at different places. Most people don’t realize they can shop at other places for financing, extended service contracts, and aftermarket accessories. It is common knowledge that you will save more money by shopping around.

Like any successful business, the dealership will profit off all services offered during the sales process. When it’s time to sign all paperwork and finalize the deal, the customer is offered the extended warranty. It is during this step that most customers are least prepared. They probably didn’t think about an extended service contract before this point in the deal. Because an extended warranty is often a sound investment, the customer will accept the dealer’s product without ever considering the auto warranty companies’ product. If they would have researched different extended warranty providers, they would have discovered they can get the same coverage at a cheaper price.

Most extended warranties that come from the auto warranty companies offer the same level of service as the dealership, but at a cheaper price. There are other benefits of going through an independent provider. You have a wide choice of repair shops you can take your vehicle. With most dealership contracts, you are limited to getting service at their facilities. Your only expense at the time of service is the deductible, if applicable. It won’t be required that you pay the service facility first, then get reimbursed by the auto warranty company later. The repair shop is paid directly by warranty provider.

As cars become more technologically advanced, extended service contracts will become necessary to avoid expensive out of pocket car repairs. Many vehicle parts are becoming more sophisticated and harder to access, making do-it-yourself auto repairs increasingly difficult. All cars will eventually need repairs but you may not have to pay for any of them with an extended service contract. It would be nice to have that $3000 transmission service paid by someone else. If you want to get great service at a cheaper price, consider getting your coverage from auto warranty companies.