Showing posts with label auto body replacement parts.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label auto body replacement parts.. Show all posts
Sunday, October 15, 2017
Learn how to clean cloudy Car Headlights with these simple tips suggested by PartsAvatar Auto Parts!!
10/15/2017 01:00:00 PM
aftermarket car parts, auto body replacement parts., automotive lightings, Car Headlights, DIY
No comments
If your car’s
headlights aren’t shining like they used to, here’s how you can do it yourself
and save your hard earned cash!!-Brought to you by PartsAvatar Replacement Auto Parts!
If you’ve started
to notice that your car’s headlights don’t shine as bright as they used to this
could be a sign that they’re in need of sprucing up. It is necessary for the
headlights to be kept clean as it keeps you safe on the road! Also if don’t
want to earn a penalty ticket!!
Cleaning headlights
isn’t a tough job. You don’t need to call a professional or need to replace car headlights
if you think they aren’t working fine! Clean them first! You have got two
choices: either restore old headlights with a restoration kit or spend $40 on
new ones or even more depending on quality!!
If still, nothing
changes, then you probably need replacement of car headlights.
Are they cloudy on outside??
Before you start
cleaning headlight, make sure the cloudiness is on the outside of the lens. If
you see moisture on the inside and some hairline cracks, then the problem is on
inside and you will have to spend money on buying a new one.
Why do headlights become hazy or cloudy?
You keep your car
shiny but can’t help noticing that your car’s headlights are foggy. So what’s making headlights cloudy
even if you clean them? Mostly cars use halogen bulbs plugged in the back of a
large plastic reflector. Outer surface of these headlamp modules is moulded
polycarbonate plastic.
To combat the
porous nature of plastic despite of being strong, they are covered with a protective
film. The film over the years is exposed to heat from the bulb, UV rays and
harsh chemicals that come up from the road. The film eventually fades and
allows the plastic to become oxidized which gives headlights a cloudy look.
How to clean it? Read
further!
Wash your car
The very first
step, wash your car thoroughly. Washing the car will help in removing any
surface dirt left on outside of lamp. Wash the headlights with regular car
soap. Just give your car a wash with regular warm water or car wash soap. Wipe
them carefully and let them dry. Now, you can examine what the problem is!
Look for hazing, yellowing, peeling and cracks
Now that you have
washed the headlight, you can notice what the actual issue is. Haziness will be
caused if the hard coat has worn off the headlights and soft polycarbonate is
exposed beginning to absorb scratches that create hazing.
If this is the
problem, doing a cheap quick clean can be effective.
Yellowing is caused
when the entire hard coat begins to thin out and lose adhesion to polycarbonate
lens. The UV spectrum creates a new repeating unit in carbonic chain which blue
light and ultimately leads to yellowish appearance. Using some polishing
compound or rain X you can clean the yellowish coloring.
When the hard coat
begins to deteriorate, it will appear to flake off or peel off. They will
develop cracks deep into the lens and it will need to be resurfaced by a
professional. Cracking is the worst case- you might need to replace them with
new ones!
Sanding
Sandpaper is used
to scuff away the outer layer of haze. 3M is the best brand for sandpaper. But
before beginning the task, make sure to buy some blue, low tack painter’s masking
tape. Mask the area that needs to be polished.
This isn’t
necessary but to protect your car’s paint job, it won’t hurt you to do so. Before
sanding, wipe down the headlights once more for your own satisfaction. You can
use a bit of alcohol to rub and use clean paper towel to wipe it down.
This is the most
important step, so be precise. Soak a piece of 1000 grit wet/dry sandpaper in
cold water for at least 10 minutes. You can even use pressure to sand away the
yellowing until you get a dull surface.
Use light straight
strokes as sanding technique. Cover the entire surface sanding back and forth
in one direction. Make sure not to let the surface dry while you work. Repeat
the process until the finish changes from dull to satiny.
Don’t rush this
part. Sand until pits, scratches are gone.
Now perform the
same operation with 1500 grit wet/dry sandpaper this time sanding at the right
angles to the previous work. Keep the paper wet, repeat the procedure until the
abrasive powder is eliminated. Repeat it with 2000, 2500 and 3000 grit wet/dry
sandpaper.
Polishing
Once you are done
with the sanding, it’s time to polish the headlight. Use some buffing compound
which are available are auto parts store. For cheap option use can use toothpaste (plain blue) to clean
headlights of car.
Take a clean towel,
apply some compound and work n circular motion, polishing repeatedly. As the
polish gets ground into the cloth and dries out, it lifts the haziness right
off the lens.
Continue rubbing
until the headlight looks clear. Apply some elbow grease and soften any
remaining clear coat. Next wet sand the lens in the circular pattern with
medium pressure, starting with coarsest sandpaper and work your way to the
finest grit.
Re wet the lens
frequently with clean water. Go until you are satisfied. Clean off the entire
polishing compound and make sure the headlight lens is dry before you apply the
new clear coat. Now wax the lens thoroughly with a paste car wax. This will
keep the headlight safe from acid rain, dirt and road salt.
Now check the car
headlights by parking the car a few inches away from the door or the wall and
check the beams.
Clean off the
polishing compound and make sure the headlight lens is dry before you apply the
new clear coat. Wipe on the clear coat and let it dry for at least four to six
hours before heading off to road.
Remember, if your
car’s headlights are beyond repair, you can be sure to find the right set for
your vehicle at PartsAvatar Car Parts!
Shop Today!!
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Losing control of your car is a scary experience. Learn how to prevent and correct skidding in bad weather conditions @PartsAvatar Car parts.
7/12/2017 11:00:00 AM
auto body replacement parts., brake pads, car brake parts, steering and suspension system, tire tread
4 comments
Canadian winters
especially snow can turn a safe road into a slippery one. Don’t worry, Armed
with our knowledge and inexpensive Aftermarket auto parts, Parts avatar Canada
has all of your bases covered~ Care for your Car parts at partsavatar.ca !
Car skidding is very
dangerous and sometimes it can lead grave accidents in the road. You will
notice skidding generally happening on wet or slippery surfaces.
Bad weather conditions
like snow, rain or ice can turn a safe road into risky one. It can be a terrifying
experience for you when you feel that you have lost control of your car when it
skids out all of a sudden. While experiencing skidding if try many options like
slamming brakes, turning the wheels in opposite direction or staring at the
object we are about to hit, but unfortunately these measures are going to make
the impact of skid worse. As the least damage impact you will need to replace auto
steering system parts and car
brake parts as they become prematurely worn.
So what makes your car
skid? How to prevent it? How to steer out of skid? Read this article for your
safety on icy or wet roads and avoid skid with preventive measures suggested by
parts avatar.
Skid
and its types
Skidding happens when
your car loses traction from its wheels which can cause it to move
uncontrollably. Either front wheels or rear wheels can experience traction lose
in skid situation. In such situations, your tires may lose the control and grip
on the road and will start sliding uncontrollably.
Keep in mind that if
the tires don’t grip the ground it is like driving on the block of ice i.e. you
will keep on sliding here and there until you crash into other object. In such
situation, you will make things worse by applying brakes or tuning the wheel. In
turn you will end up ruining brake pads and will need to replace car’s brake pads.
There are different kinds of skid that you can face on slippery roads. Have a
look!
Under
steer or Front wheel traction lose
Under steer is caused
when your front car wheels lose traction while cornering. When you turn into a corner,
the front wheels slide sideways which means that the car travels forward rather
than turning. You car will slide away from the centre of the curve and possibly
hit the oncoming traffic. This is usually caused while taking a fast turn.
Under steer is the
easiest type of skid to handle and also it is least dangerous. It can be caused
either turning too fast into a corner or applying too much power as you exit
the corner. If you turn to the corner too fast, the weight of the car shifts
towards the sidewalls of the tires and it no longer provides gripping.
Over
Steer or Rear wheel traction lose
Over steer happens when
your car’s rear wheels lose traction while cornering. The wheels will slide
towards the outside of the curve. Your car’s front end will point either to the
left or the right of the intended path despite your steering input.
The front wheel begins
to turn but the back wheel spins out to the outside of the curve causing the
rear of the car to fishtail
or slide from side to side. It has further sub types as: power over steer and
lift off over steer.
Power over steer is
usually used in drifting to achieve big, Smokey power slides. Only rear wheels
can perform power slides. Lift off over steer is much pronounced in rear engine
mid size cars like Toyota MR2. The solid lump of metal at the rear acts like a
pendulum.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning or
aquaplaning is caused when your car’s tires rise up on the top of a layer of
water because the tread cannot disperse the water fast enough. Once this
happens, you will briefly lose steering ability because your tires are unable
to get any traction. This scenario happens when it is raining or snowing.
You will notice a small
jerk in the direction you are heading once your tires regain traction. The
shallower the tread on your tires the more likely you are to hydroplane.
Wheels
locking up
Slamming or stepping on
the car’s brakes too hard will cause the wheels to lock up. In such situations,
avoid driving too close to the vehicle in front of you.
If your car’s wheels
lock up, don’t accelerate further. Instead carefully steer the vehicle and
brake slowly. If the roads have thick sheet of ice on them, wheels can lock up
due to the tires attempting to grip the surface of the road.
What
to do?
There is no different
process of recovering from a skid for front and rear wheel drives.
Take
your feet off the pedal
Whenever you feel like
your car is skidding the first thing to do is to get your foot of the
accelerator. Do not press the brake pedal as it may make things worse. It is
useless to apply brakes in such situation and the acceleration is the root
cause for skidding.
To slow down the car
let your skidding tires gain some traction and they will eventually contribute
in slowing your car down. Do not panic and get your feet off the accelerator
and brake pedal.
Gentle
steering input
Always steer in the
direction you want the car to go. It is foolish to steer into the skid. While the car is skidding, look directly at
where you want to go not at the objects you want to avoid. For example if you
focus on a tree, your hands will follow your direction and that’s where you are
going to end up.
Whether your front or
rear wheels are skidding, correct direction to steer is inevitably in the
opposite direction that your front end is headed. So, once you know the
direction to steer, make sure to steer gently.
Re-
distribution of vehicle weight
As you begin to regain
the traction on wheels, you’ll want to gently apply the brakes or the
accelerator. Gentle braking is done to re distribute the weight to those wheels
which will help them gain even more traction. So, if your front wheels are
skidding, you will want to apply brakes gently and if the rear wheels are
experiencing a skid then you will find the need to gently apply the
accelerator.
So all in all,
depending on the type of skid (rear or front), apply brake or the accelerator gently.
Few
tips for preventing skids
There are easy
techniques that can keep you safe and prevent skid situation to happen.
1. Choose the speed
according to weather condition. It is advised to drive slowly on wet, icy or
snowy conditions. Fast driving often results in skidding.
2. Avoid phone calls
and other distracting chores while driving and keep your hands on the steering
and eyes focused on the road.
3. Maintain a proper
distance between you and the car ahead of you. This way you will have plenty of
space to react if something happens.
4. Decrease the car’s
speed while taking a turn – it will help you stay in control.
Using these techniques
will help to prevent skidding and gain control of the car. Be attentive, stay
calm and keep both hands on steering for a safe drive.
Partsvatar is the
leading dealer of aftermarket auto parts across Canada. Visit partsvatar
replacement auto parts for the best deal!
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)