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Why should you detail your own car? Some people think that taking their car to the car wash is all they need to do to keep their car looking great; however, cheap and quick car washes can leave your car with scratches, swirls in the paint, and not protect your car from the elements. I try to detail my vehicles twice a year, for the exterior that means not only washing, but also using an iron remover, clay bar, and waxing.
Earlier this Spring, the front brake on the Ram locked up and totally disintegrated the brakes. The aftermath of this was a fine layer of iron throughout the paint on the driver side. The iron slowly started to rust and left the surface feeling like sandpaper. Washing the truck did not remove the rust, and it continued to get worse. The contaminants had embedded themselves into the clear coat of the truck. The bonded contaminants have corrosive properties and over time they will destroy the finish of your vehicle.
The rust is visible in the paint after washing. The surface was gritty like sandpaper and washing alone did not remove.
First step is to wash your vehicle. I prefer to use a power washer with a foam canon and soap specifically made for a foam canon. I like to pre-rinse the vehicle first, then spray soap suds on with the foam canon. Next I wash the vehicle with a terry cloth mitten and a bucket with the same soap that was in the foam canon. Ideally, it is a good idea to have 2 buckets, one for soap and the other filled with water to rinse the mitten before it goes back into the soap bucket. This minimizes the risk of re-applying the grit and contaminants back to your vehicle which could scratch and/or put swirls in the paint.
After the vehicle has been washed and dried it is time to remove the contaminants from the paint. Depending on how bad the paint is will determine if you should use an iron remover before using the clay bar. The clay bar will remove iron from the paint, but depending on how much iron is in the paint will determine how effective it is at removing the contaminants. Solely relying on the clay bar to remove iron contaminants can cause the bar to become overloaded with iron and cause scratches in the paint. For a 1-2 punch it is best to use a chemical iron remover first followed up with a clay bar to remove the rest of the impurities. This will decrease the risk of scratching the paint with the clay bar.
This picture was taken after the iron remover was applied and rinsed off.
This picture was taken after the iron remover was applied and rinsed off.
The last step that needs to be done is waxing the vehicle. For this I like to use Maguiar’s NXT Generation 2.0. This will fill the microscopic pits left from removing the contaminants.
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Installing a DeeZee Tailgate Assist on your truck will allow you to safely and easily lower your tailgate. This will not only make your life easier, but will also extend the life and performance of the tailgate. No more struggling to open your tailgate when your hands are full. No more hearing that horrendous thud of your tailgate free falling to its limit.
The install was easy; in fact, it took about 15 minutes to complete the 10 simple steps for the Ram version. The following tools are required for the installation of your DeeZee Tailgate Assist:
T-45 Torx
M5 Allen Wrench
Pliers
10 mm Wrench
13 mm Wrench
17 mm Wrench
Tape Measure
Follow the 10 short steps in the intruction manual or follow along in the YouTube video. And before you know it you’ll be a smooth operator… Of you tailgate that is.
Some added benefits and features. I have a 7 year old daughter, and now I don’t have to worry about her opening and dropping the tailgate that weighs a good 60 pounds on her. It will come down in a nice controlled descent. This model is built specifically for each make/model, so that makes for an easier installation without needing to custom fit pieces that were made for a different truck. Plus there is no drilling or fabrication required.
Things to note:
Kit is intended for driver side only
The nutsert in step 1 should be tightened at least 9 full 360 degree turns. If after 9 turns it is still loose continue to tighten 1-2 more turns. Over tightening the nutsert can strip the threads.
In step 2, tighten the ball mount 8 ft-lbs.
Periodically check the upper and lower mounting locations and re-tighten as needed.
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Purchase the DeeZee Tailgate Assist for Ram ’09-’18 1500 and ’10-’18 2500/3500 https://amzn.to/3dIK27s
This year my brother moved to Chicago, and left his 2-door Jeep Wrangler JK to my daughter and I. In the past, I’ve had two Jeep Wrangler TJs and loved them; however, every year when the weather was finally nice and the top came off I would always get a bad sunburn. There’s nothing worse than sitting in rush hour traffic and turning into a lobster… This time around, I need to take extra precautions with my daughter riding in the back. I was searching for something that was easy to install and would block the UV rays while still keeping the open air feel of a topless Jeep. That’s when I came across the Alien Sunshade.
It is important to minimize our exposure from the sun and its harmful UV rays. When I was 25 I was diagnosed with melanoma twice within 6 months of each other. According to the Skin Care Foundation, 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer, and getting sunburned 5 or more times doubles your risk for melanoma. Be smart and use a sunshade to reduce the UV rays and risks of getting skin cancer.
The installation of the Alien Sunshade was a breeze. This project did not require any tools or special hardware, and only took about 10 minutes to install. Before you begin though, you will need to remove the hard top and/or lower the soft top. It is recommended to leave the sunshade in the sun for 30 minutes to warm up. By doing this the sunshade will stretch easier and it will remove the wrinkles. The first step is to unfold the sunshade and position it so that the front eyelets align with the 3 footman loops along the windshield. Use the 3 short bungee balls to attach the sunshade to the footman loops. The ball end of the bungee should be underneath the sunshade. Next, use the 12 long bungee balls to attach the sunshade to the roll bar. To keep the sunshade centered and aligned I alternated between driver and passenger sides of the Jeep. After a few tugs and repositioning bungees I was happy with how the sunshade fit. When you are ready to put the top back on you will need to remove the 3 front bungees. After the top is back on you can reattach the 3 front bungees.
The Alien Sunshade turned out great! I purchased the extended version for the 2 door, so that it extended back behind the seat rest. This way I don’t have to worry about my daughter getting exposed to the sun. The paint on the Jeep is called Deep Cherry Red Crystal Pearl, and I wasn’t sure on how well the red colors would match, so I went with Sand. In my opinion, the Sand color goes really well with Deep Cherry Red. It’s great that you can still see through the top, it reduces wind noise, and I think it reduces the extreme heat of the sun in the summer.
So in conclusion, I highly recommend checking out the Alien Sunshade. This product was easy to install. works great, looks great, and reduces your exposure to the sun!
For more information on protecting yourself from the sun check out the Skin Cancer Foundation at https://www.skincancer.org/
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