One of the best things about the holidays is having a lot of free time (or a bit, for the unfortunate few) on our hands. This means we have the chance to do the things we love that our regular day-to-day schedules usually won’t let us.
For us car guys, this also means we can spend this spare time to get some DIY jobs done to clean up our beaters—it might be a bit tedious, but it’ll help us save a lot of money this Christmas. Besides, shops will be filled to the brim since everyone else finally has the time to bring their cars in, so it’ll be a perfect idea to get things done within the comforts of your own home.
As always, we’ve got you guys covered—we’ve put together a list of some of the easiest cleaning procedures you can do this Christmas. Check them out below.
1) Popping out dents
Okay, this first one is technically a repair, but it still has the same objective of keeping your car’s looks in tip-top shape. It might be daunting, but it really isn’t that difficult since this method is merely aimed at addressing minor dents. As for the bigger jobs, maybe it’ll be better if you let the experts do it for you instead.
2) Removing car stickers and residue
Car stickers and their stubborn residue are common problems among car owners, but it’s actually just a quick fix. Some household products can do the trick, and once you try them out, you’ll find yourself staring at clear windows in no time. The Christmas break is also a good chance to try this one out, too, since some stickers for certain villages and access roads also usually expire at the end of the year. That, or you just ended up buying some cool sticker packs over the holidays.
3) Scrubbing out water spots
It’s been a tough year for your daily driver, and the battle scars are probably showing already. That includes those irritating water spots that have accumulated on your car over the last 12 months. Luckily, they also require just an easy fix as well, and just with number two on this list, you only need some household products to get the job done.
4) Removing window tint
If your car’s window tint is already starting to wear out, then the visibility from behind the wheel—especially at night—has probably been affected. Now if that’s the case but you haven’t the budget this year for new tint, then there’s always one thing you can do to address this problem: Just remove your tint altogether, regardless if you’re having it replaced or not. It might result in a hotter ride during the day, but it’ll definitely be safer to drive the car whenever the sun’s down. Don’t worry, you won’t easily damage your windows trying to remove your tint as long as you follow the guide we’ve linked here for you.
5) Getting rid of smoke stench inside the cabin
There’s a reason cigarette smoking inside the car is a big no-no for a lot of people: the stench of smoke easily sticks to the plastics, cloth, and leather inside the cabin. If, for whatever reason, your car smells like smoke and it seems like it won’t ever come off, then you should consider doing a deep and thorough cleaning for that to happen.
6) Cleaning car battery terminals
We now move out from the cabin and into the engine bay of your car to clean one part of your car that’s usually overlooked: your battery terminals. You won’t have these cleaned out when you get your regular engine wash, so it’s either you get someone to do it for you or you do it yourself. It’s just a walk in the park, so we suggest you just stick to the latter.
What DIY procedure did you have done on your car? Share them in the comments section. Oh, and since you’re already here, you can also check out other tip-sheet stories from us—there might be something here that could help you out.
