July 6, 2016 / como / 0 Comments
What do I need to do to sell my car?
The time has come for you to sell your car and, naturally, you’ve got questions.
There are a few obvious ones –
What documents do I need to sell my car?
Can I sell my car if the registration has expired?
Can I sell a car on which I still owe money?
These questions may seem daunting, but in actual fact, the answers are fairly straightforward.
What documents do a need to sell my car?
The single key document you will need is a proof of ownership. Obviously, the state and the dealer will want to know that you are the owner of the vehicle and that you do, indeed, have the right to sell the car. The document you are most likely to have to hand is the title. If you have this, it’s easy to just sign it over to the dealer. The dealer will also have all the forms to accompany the sale of a car using the title. If you do not have the title you must visit any DMV office and apply for a duplicate title by completing a Vehicle Registration/Title Application.
You’ll also want to accompany the proof of ownership with an original bill of sale. This can take almost any form, as most DMVs do not supply official bills of sale. It needs to include the name of the buyer and the seller, the VIN of the vehicle in question, the date, the make and model of the vehicle and the price.
If the car is currently registered, youll want to bring the registration documents with you. Once you have finalized the sale, make sure to remove the license plates and the registration sticker. That way you will not be liable for tickets the next owner may get.
If the car is paid off, youll want to have the lien release document. This is a document sent by the lien-holder (usually a bank or finance company) once the car is paid off. It notes to VIN and the date of the final payment and officially releases the car from the lien. You can still sell the car if there is money owed on it (see below)
Almost all other paper work related to the sale of a car can be provided by the used car dealer.
Can I sell my car if the Registration has expired?
Yes.
If the car is not registered or you cannot find the registration, a visit to the DMV will help. There you can get a Vehicle Registration/Title Application, or a Certification of Registration for Transfer of Non-Titled Vehicle. You could also use an original Affidavit of Sale or a Manufacturers Certificate of Origin. In some situations you can use an expired registration certificate.
Each state is has different rules about the finer points, but the answer to the question is yes, you can sell an unregistered car or a car for which you do not have the tags. The dealer will be able to help you figure out exactly which form you can use.
Can I sell a car on which I still owe money?
Yes.
The dealer will arrange to pay off the money due on the car. This money will be deducted from the amount given to you for the car. Thus, if you agree on a price of $6,000 for the car and you still owe $4,000 on it, the dealer will pay you $4000 and give you the remaining $2000. Youll need to bring along the paperwork relating to the loan if you can. The payments coupon book will do, or at a minimum, you need to know that name of the institution which is financing the car. They will be able to look up the car by the VIN and then figure out the exact amount due.
Of course, the amount will be less than the figure in your coupon book. Thats because you will be paying it off early and therefore paying less in interest. Cars which are still on lease are handled in much the same way. This is one of the great advantages of selling your car to a used car dealer. Because this is all they do, they are experts in doing business with the financiers and are able to get the paperwork done much more quickly. Often, when it is time to sell your car, the whole transaction can take as little as fifteen minutes.
A long-time New York used car dealer has a useful article about when it’s time to sell your car. Most reputable dealers will make sure that everything is in order before you walk out, but this checklist will help you get to that point.
July 5, 2016 / como / 0 Comments
TOOLS NEEDED:
SOFT HAMMER
(or Ball Peen Hammer)
BODY HAMMERS
HAMMERING DOLLY
(or Solid Metal Piece)
TORCH or LIGHTER
VICE-GRIP PLIERS
36-120 GRIT SANDPAPER
600 GRIT WET/DRY PAPER
SMALL WOOD BLOCK
METAL FILE
SUCTION CUP
DRY ICE
RULER
DRILL & GRIT DISK
SPRAY PRIMER
Auto body dents come in all shapes and sizes, from a large crease, to a shallow depression or just a little ding. One quality they all share is they distort the original shape of the sheet metal. The general definition of a dent is any place where the metal of the cars body has been stretched. So, in order to repair the car body, one has to bring the dent back to its original shape by un-stretching the metal. Depending on the type of dent, one can pop out the dent or pound out the dent.
If youre the DIY (Do It Yourself) type, then you’ll try to repair dents in your car’s body yourself. Before attempting this, compare the costs of hiring a professional with your confidence of doing the job properly yourself…and be honest about your auto body repair experience and ability. If youre one of those people that starts a car project and then gets frustrated half way through because its harder than you thought, (YOU know who you are!) then it is probably best only to risk a dent repair job yourself with an older, less expensive car. That way, the repair costs might already be more than the car’s actual value. Even then, you may only be able to repair fender dents, as they can be removed without anything from the car’s interior getting in the way (IE inner door panels).
There are two main types of car dent repairs: paint restoration repair and dent repair without paint. The first type of dent repair is for minor dents and dings, and paint restoration dent repair is for when serious damage was inflicted on the car body part(s). Many car owners, especially in this economy, are looking for ways to get around paying to take their car to an auto repair shop. With this in mind, Ill cover both DIY small dent removal and large dent repair. Ill put a disclaimer right up front that the following methods with not work for every dent, every time. Yet, there is no harm in trying them to save a buck.
Small Dents & Do It Yourself DIY Fender Dent Repair
SOFT HAMMER DENT REMOVAL:
Most cars today feature a car body so thin and flexible that dents can be created accidentally…by simply leaning on your car! Most very small dents can be easily repaired with a soft hammer. Always aim for the center of the dent, to avoid making new marks on the outer circumference of it, and pound out the depression. NOTE: you may have to view the dent from the underside of the car. With a fender dent, this can only be done by raising the vehicle and removing the wheel under the dent. Then, while hammering with one hand, you can feel the outside of the fender with your other. This allows you to check that the dent is evenly pushed out. If you *still* cant remove the dent, jump ahead to the large dent removal section of this article, as you will have to remove the fender from the car.
TORCH, LIGHTER & HAIR DRYER DENT REMOVAL:
http://metacafe.com/watch/963248/remove_car_dent_with_a_lighter/
You can heat the convex (dented) portion of a car dent with a torch, lighter or hair dryer, until it glows a dull red. Then stop heating it and let the dented surface cool. As the metal cools, the dent will shrink back, and hopefully pop out, leaving the surface very close to original.
SUCTION CUP DENT REMOVAL:
If you are not able to pound out your small dent easily, you may have a medium dent in your car. In that case, you can attach a large suction cup with a handle to the dented car part…and pull out the dent. How does this work? As you squeeze the cup against the car bodys dented surface, you are actually squeezing the air out from underneath it. The resulting vacuum you create causes the suction cup to stick onto the surface. Start by placing the suction cup along the edge of the dent, pulling it out, and slowly working your way inward. If youre still having trouble, you should try tapping the dent with a soft hammer, from the inside, while you pull out the dent from the outside.
DRY ICE DENT REMOVAL:
A How To Video of DRY ICE DENT REMOVAL:
http://metacafe.com/watch/yt-ab5PdrAIKeo/how_to_cure_car_dent_with_dry_ice/
Dry ice may be used to repair a small car dent, and is sold by many grocery stores. (Always remember to use gloves when handling dry ice!) Simply place the dry ice in the center of the dent, wait for it to attach firmly to the car body, and gently pull out the dent. You may have to repeat this procedure several times for the dent to be totally removed.
Large Dents & Do It Yourself DIY Car Dent Repair
OK…the Intro To DIY Dent Removal 101 class ends HERE. The following techniques are for large dents, requiring more car repair experience and skill. Start by removing all bolts from the fender, and taking it off the car body. If you cant remove the fender, there is at least one hidden bolt left intact…find it and remove it. NOTE: Never force the fender off a car. (*Some* mechanics also recommend you drill a hole in the center of the dent, using a 1/8 inch drill bit. This is entirely up to YOU. If you are using a dent repair kit, you will most likely find a plastic adapter and glue gun included, and these would be used for that task.) Once the fender is lifted off, use a heavier hammer to pound out the dents from the fender’s underside. Always start from the CENTER of the dent and use short, small taps on the dent, not long, hard ones. As you pound out the dent, hold a hammer dolly against the outside of the fender to prevent making new protrusions around the dent. If the fender supports are bent, be sure to straighten them back out with vice-grip pliers. After youve successfully fixed the dent, simply re-attach all the bolts and put the fender back on the car.
Body hammers and hammer dollies come in many shapes, sizes and weights. First, examine the dent closely with a ruler for depth and length. Then, always choose the best-shaped and smallest size hammer that will do the job, and the dolly that has the closest curvature to the dented panel. If you don’t have body tools, you can try to use a ball peen hammer and solid scrap metal piece as your dolly. This will take a lot of taps, but wont do as much damage to your car body panel. Since all dents are unique, so is each dent repair, and you truly have to use your own best judgement to get the metal straightened. Start by placing the dolly against the top side of the dent and, swinging the hammer from the underside of the dent, begin tapping with MANY short, small taps.
The fender pictured above has a typical dent in the side: oval-shaped, 3 inches long and 2 inches wide. In that case, they used a hammer with a large, flat round top, to be sure the overall force of the blows would be evenly transmitted over an area of a couple square inches. This helped pound out the dent without creating unsightly, little pin-sized mounds. The head of the hammer should strike the sheet metal flat against its surface, as, at the same time,
you hold the dolly directly over where you are striking.
Note that, after every few taps, you must lift the dolly and examine the dent to be sure the taps are reducing the depth of the dent AND not resulting in little convex dents. If the taps are leaving little mounds on the surface, you must start using a hammer with a larger head. If the dent hasnt moved at all, put the dolly down and hit the inside of the dent harder. After the dent popped out, it left a slight raised section, which is easily seen under the straight edge.
If you pop out the dent, but end up with one spot that stands up too high, dont worry. This is common, and there are two ways to fix this reverse-dent. This time, put the dolly underneath the fender and gently tap the convex (raised) area with the smaller head of the hammer. Repetitive, small hammer hits should level the surface completely.
How To Tell If The Repair Conforms
To The Original Car Body Surface?
Using the body file, you can find the high spots that need additional attention, and very lightly tap them down until the surface returns to its original shape again.
You can now file the once dented area, scraping off the etching primer coating. As you file the surface, take note of which areas are still a little low and which are now a bit too high. Go back and re-do one of the above methods until the dent is removed enough to meet your standards. Then, use a medium grit disk mounted on a drill to grind the paint down to the bare metal for at least one inch around the dent. Next, fill the area with a high quality body filler. Allow that to dry completely, then sand the area with a block of wood wrapped in sandpaper. Prime the area with 6 coats of automotive spray primer. Be sure to allow each coat of primer to dry completely before applying the next one over it. Sand the primer using a 600-grit wet and dry sandpaper to remove scratches. Touch up the area with a matching automotive paint. When applying automotive paint, do so using a spray gun and in a brisk, fluid motion. If the newly painted area is not smooth, re-sand and re-paint it until it is.
How good you need your dent repair to be is really up to each individual. You can keep working the dent until your file shows the metal surface is perfect, or you can leave little low spots to be filled later with body filler. NOTE: Overworking the metal can leave it brittle, and it might begin to crack instead of bend.
Sometimes…Less IS more! *smile* Generally, if you are considered (by yourself or others) to be a Perfectionist, then its probably best to have your car professionally repaired to its original, perfect self. Otherwise, you might find yourself endlessly obsessing and working the dent until it cracks. If your standards are more flexible, youre on a tight budget, and are handy with a hammer, then try our dent repair methods and let us know how it goes…GOOD LUCK!
July 2, 2016 / como / 0 Comments
Magnetic vehicle magnets are a great choice for identifying your vehicle on a job site or to advertise your business or service, and they give you the choice to remove them for anonymity in the evenings and on the weekends. They can now be produced in full color for the same price as we used to make them in a monochromatic design, so the sky is the limit with these decals.
However, as you’ve pointed out in your question, many of our clients or other company’s clients aren’t exactly sure how to care for magnetic door decals. Let me say it once here – it is VERY IMPORTANT to maintain your magnetic decals properly for the sake of the decals, but even more so for your vehicle’s paint longevity, because if you don’t, you may cause serious problems for the paint under the area where your magnetic decals are placed on your vehicle’s door.
First, in regards to your decals, you must remove them off your vehicle daily, especially during the winter or rainy season in your area, but I would recommend doing this year around. However, in dry areas, one could get by with removing them once weekly (as on the weekends). Still, when your truck or car doors’ paint is at stake, I personally would say to err on the safe and less costly side of this equation.
When you remove your door magnets, you’ll want to have a place where you lay them out flat every evening, or at least for the weekend. Any slight bump will permanently create a bump in the magnetic material that may cause an edge to lift while you’re driving, and if an edge lifts, there is a good chance the wind rushing past your vehicle will simply remove the decal completely with or without your noticing it. Even if you notice it, the odds of it not being ruined are pretty slim. So, laying the decals perfectly flat is the main issue for storage, whether short or long term.
Why am I so emphatic on removing your door magnets daily? Whether you can see it or not, moisture will get trapped under your magnets. When moisture is trapped beneath the magnet, it has nowhere to go, except into the micro-pores of the automotive paint, at which point the moisture will contact the metal, creating small rust spots. These rust spots will bleed through the paint and begin deteriorating your vehicles paint via the moisture that you trapped beneath the magnets.
So, to recap, you really have three basic rules with vehicle door magnetic signs. First, remove them frequently – I advise you do it every day when you get home. Second, store the decal magnets flat, flat, flat. And flatter. You’ll never have them blow off your car this way. And third, make sure you follow the first two rules and you’ll never have problems with your automobile’s paint falling off or having rust spots develop.
Barry Brown has been in the Sign, Banner, Decal and Display Business for over 20 years. It isn’t what he thought he’d do with his life, but he says he knows too much now to do anything else!
He has been marketing these products online since 1998, and the company he was general manager of in 1998 was the first sign company to be listed on Yahoo!
You can follow him on twitter HERE.