Add Trailer Wiring

This job used to be difficult, but not so much anymore. Ready-made trailer wiring harnesses are available for many different vehicles. Some install more easily than others, but it’s not a difficult task under any circumstances.

Keep Your Seats Looking Nice

Your seats see a lot of wear and tear, and if they're a lighter color that use is going to show really quickly. Fortunately you don't need to shell out money to get your seats reupholstered. You can handle your car seat repair and maintenance yourself.

Fix Tears in Leather and Vinyl

Upholstery shops charge quite a bit to fix tears in your seats. You can do it yourself in a few hours with a vinyl and leather repair kit from any auto parts store. You'll have to practice a bit to get the right color mix and it might not be a perfect match when you're done, but it's a lot better than driving around with torn seats.

Start by gluing reinforcing fabric onto the underside of the torn vinyl or leather. Then mix the heat-set filler to match your fabric color and apply it to the tear. Next, find a textured mat that most closely resembles the texture of your vinyl or leather and place it onto the liquid filler. Heat the patching tool with a clothes iron and press it onto the textured mat. Remove the patching tool, but leave the textured mat in place until the patch cools. Then peel it off.

Clean and Condition the Seats

After a few years, you’ll notice that the color of the leather or vinyl seats no longer matches that of the rest of the interior. It’s not enough just to condition the leather. First spray on leather cleaner and rub vigorously with a clean terry cloth towel. To avoid rubbing the grime back into the seats, keep flipping the cloth to expose a fresh surface. Let the seats dry for an hour and then rub in a leather conditioner to keep the leather supple. It’s available at discount stores and auto stores.

Clean the Carpet

Use a carpet cleaning machine to get the dirt that settles deep into the fibers of the carpet. It sprays the carpet with a solution of water and cleaner and then sucks the dirt and grime into a reservoir. A machine like this pays for itself after just a few uses. You can also rent one from a rental center or use a spray-on cleaner and a scrub brush instead.

Remember the Recesses

Detailing means just that— cleaning all the trim lines and recesses. Wrap a cloth around a worn screwdriver so that there are no sharp edges and spray it with an all-purpose cleaner. Move it gently along the trim lines to pick up dirt, using fresh sections of cloth as you go. Then clean around the buttons and controls, and follow up with a rejuvenator.

Wash the Windows

Don’t forget the top edges. Ever notice that line of grime on the tops of windows when they’re partially rolled down? Most people overlook this detail when giving their vehicle a quick wash. A few minutes with Windex and a clean rag is all it takes.

Keep Locks and Latches Functioning Smoothly

Sometimes your locks and latches will start to show their age. But when they start to get stuck or catch on things, you can repair them quite easily. This is one of the fastest car repair and maintenance tasks on our list.

Add Graphite to Door Locks

Graphite powder keeps your lock mechanism working. We don’t think much about our door locks until the key breaks off in the cylinder. Keep these delicate mechanisms moving freely with a blast of dry graphite powder. You may need to push the dust protector flap back slightly with a small metal nail file to get at the lock. A quick pump of the tube will dispense enough graphite. Move the lock cylinder with your key several times to work the graphite into the mechanism. Do this to your trunk lock as well.

Free Up a Sticking Hood Latch

If your hood doesn’t latch and unlatch easily, chances are it’s just rusty and dry. You can fix the problem in about 10 minutes with spray rust penetrant and spray lithium grease. Pop the hood and saturate the entire latch mechanism with rust penetrant. Latch and unlatch the hood several times until the mechanism works smoothly. The rust penetrant won’t last long, so you’ll have to apply a better lube. Open the hood and spray all the moving parts with white lithium grease. Latch and unlatch the hood several more times and you’re good to go.

Car Light Repair and Maintenance

Your lights should be high up on your car repair and maintenance checklist. They're an important safety feature, letting you see the road and other drivers see you.

Fix Dim Headlights

Simply clean the ground connection to restore the brightness of dim headlights. Apply a little dielectric grease or replace the bulb if you see a gray/brown film on the inside of the glass.

Replace Headlights

The hardest part of the job is choosing a new bulb. You can spend more time shopping for the bulbs than it takes to install them. The choices are mind-boggling. Every bulb manufacturer has its own confusing names for each style, making comparisons difficult. But it boils down to four upgrade categories—brightness level, life span, light color and energy consumption. Decide what matters most to you and narrow down from there.

Replace Non-Headlight Bulbs

To access burned out license plate, side marker and fog light bulbs, just remove the retaining screws and pry off the lens. Pull the bulb straight out of the socket. Handle the new bulb with gloved hands or hold it with a paper towel to prevent skin oils from depositing on the thin glass — that can cause premature bulb failure. Then push the bulb into the socket until it clicks. Reinstall the lens and you're done.