Keeping it Shiny: Don't Let Scratches and Scrapes Ruin Your Paintjob

Let’s face it, your car is your pride and joy and also one of the most expensive things you own apart from your home! For that reason you want to keep it in the best condition possible, particularly if you want to sell it and upgrade in the coming years. Taking care of your car’s paintwork is really important, mainly because those little nicks and scratches you can easily collect with daily driving can sometimes become more serious issues if they corrode and rust.

Of course, if you put your car in the garage and never go anywhere, you won’t have a problem but that kind of defeats the point of having a car in the first place. There are plenty of things you can do to fix minor and superficial scratches to your car’s paintwork without having to book it in to a body shop for an expensive fix! Modern cars usually have highly durable paintwork that is designed to last for years to come but it’s almost inevitable that over time, the paint will be damaged by fine scratched caused by other drivers or even by scraping something against the door accidentally while opening it.

Car Scratch Removers

These days there are plenty of really good and affordable products you can use to remove or conceal superficial scratched on a car’s paintwork. Most of the kits you can buy come with everything you need to remove scratches and often also contain a polisher and wax to bring your repaired scratches back to a shine to completely match the rest of your car’s paint finish.

All cars are coated with several layers of paint when they are made and the layer at the top is called the clear coat. Most of the car scratch removers you can buy are only capable of removing scratches to this clear coat layer and so you need to be sure they aren’t too deep to be fixed by yourself.

Here are the stages in fixing a scratch on your car:

ABRASION

Before you can start to fix the scratch, you have to make it worse! This is to ensure a completely smooth finish. By sanding down the scratch, you’ll remove any uneven marks caused by the incidents which will allow the color to absorb into the sanded area more effectively for an invisible finish.

PRIMING

Once you have used abrasive paper to prepare the surface around the scratch, the next step is priming. A primer is used to completely prepare the surface for painting and usually comes in aerosol form. Generally, you prime the surface two or three times, allowing it to dry between applications and then you can sand it down once again to get a totally smooth finish. Then you’re ready to add the color!

COATING

This is where you apply the pigment color to your base coat of primer. You can generally apply coating in as many applications as you need to get the desired finish and each one will seal the pigment and protective layers underneath. In between applications you can sand the surface with really fine paper of around 1,500-grit and this slowly brings the color to its original factory gloss and finishes your work with a shiny coat.

RESULTS

It takes a few hours – usually overnight – for your handiwork to dry and then most scratch remover kits contain a rubbing compound which brings out the shine even more. Once you have finished fixing the scratch on your car and it’s all dry, it’s a good idea to wash and wax the whole of its bodywork as this blends your touch-up work really well with the original paintwork. Ultimately, fixing annoying scratches on your car is much easier than you think!

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Manual or Electronic: Which Scooter is Better for Your Needs?

Are you in a dilemma on purchasing the best among the several models of scooters available? Can’t choose between manual or electric? You are not alone. The good news is that there’s a great scooter for everyone’s needs.

Let’s take a look at the various features to help you make an informed decision.

Manual Scooter

To get scooting, propel the scooter forward using your foot. It’s similar to the traditional bicycle, but you apply effort on the ground to move. The biggest shortcoming of a manual scooter is that it might be tiring to keep on pushing forward with your feet, but it comes in handy when you want to move around and burn some calories.

Where It Wins?

-          Exercise

No debate here. Manual scooters are the best option to get outside and exercise while having fun, or getting some cardio in your daily commute to work.

-          Budget

Manual scooters are cheaper and easier to maintain. There’s no expense for pushing one around town. Electric scooters are more expensive than manual, and will add an extra cost to your electricity bill.

-          Practical

You can do impressive tricks and jumpsif you are an adrenaline junkie.The same can’t be done on electric scooter.

Electric Scooter

As the name goes, electric scooters run on electricity.  You move around without using any physical vitality. They are charged when the power is low, and can easily move anywhere within a 21-mile radius.

Where It Wins?

-          Efficiency

You can get around faster using minimal electric energy and without getting tired. It can transform a 20-minute power-walk into a five-minute ride. It also has a regenerative braking system which recoups energy, meaning that you may only plug it in for a few hours.

-          Comfortable

If you hate getting down and pushing forward with your feet all the time, then an electric scooter fits you pretty well.

-           Versatile

Electric scooters are convenient for everyone, because they don’t require much of your effort to get moving.

A Look at the Similarities

·         Both scooters are eco-friendly. You won’t have to rely on cars or fossil fuels to run your every day errands.

·         Scooters are a better choice for your wallet because they are much cheaper compared to cars and motorcycles.

·         Scooters are easy to fold and carry, meaning that you don’t have to worry about parking spaces and fees. They can be folded and stowed in the trunk of your car.

·         Very convenient for travelling short distances in split time, like for pilots to get around airports or cruise patrons to see the sights on shore.

Which One Will You Choose?

Preferring one to the other is a personal choice depending on your factors. All scooters were designed with the aim of providing faster or easier transportation to the grocery store or subway station. Getting the right electronic scooter for adults should be a walk in the park with the above guidelines.

Regardless of the scooter you are purchasing, it’s a win-win situation for your time and money. Lastly, always make sure that you buy a scooter with excellent ratings from a verified vendor and with one-year warranty or more.

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Prevention is Essential: Why Has Bed Liner Paint Become Such a Popular Option?

Your pickup works just as hard as you do, whether you use it for your work or outdoor leisure activities. When you’ve invested your money in any truck of any size, you’ll want to do all you can to protect your investment and make sure your pickup is always fit for the purpose. Durable bed liner paint is one of the most popular choices for maintaining and protecting the important work surface of your truck so that it endures everything you have to throw at it. By protecting your truck’s bed, you’ll always have a reliable workhorse that’s ready for even the most industrial loads and your investment will last a whole lot longer too.

Truck Bed Protection Explained

There are two basic options to choose from when it comes to protecting your pickup’s load-bearing bed: you can either purchase a pre-formed liner that drops into position or you can use a paint coating that offers full protection. The downside of pre-formed truck beds is that it is very difficult to get a flush, air-tight fit so you can be left with gaps in the lining. This will make your truck bed susceptible to the elements, with rain and humidity getting trapped in the small gaps in your liner which can damage the bed over time, with the potential for rust build-up.

The second option of a protective coating applied in paint is much more efficient in this respect as there are no difficulties of fitting the product in place. Truck bed paints contain liquid resin which dries to become a durable second skin that always looks fresh and can even be touched-up to repair small scratches should they appear over time. Many truck owners say they get a better grip on their loads when they apply paint bed liner and that items don’t move around the bed when in transit as they are likely to do with a drop-in liner alternative.

Why Your Truck Bed Needs Protection

It doesn’t matter if you use your truck occasionally or every day of the week, an open truck bed is vulnerable to all sorts of damage as the result of being exposed to all types of weather from rain and snow through to intense heat and sunshine. If a truck is located near the ocean, there is even more risk of damage to an open bed, as wind carries moisture and salt in the air which causes corrosion and rust. Bed liner paint also looks really good as a finish for your truck and serves to protect the money you’ve invested into it better than any other product.

Bed liner paint provides a thin coating that is anti-corrosive, abrasion resistant, non-slip, incredibly durable and importantly will not chip or peel. It’s easy to apply, with brush, roll on or spray options available and it’s also available in a range of colors for you to choose from. You can either use bed liner paint to restore an old workhorse that’s seen better days or protect your more recent pickup more effectively. Bed liner paint can also be used on as an interior coating, undercoating or as an exterior scratch guard.

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