Tag Archives: bodywork

Replacing a Car Boot Lid

car boot lid

It is all too easy for your boot lid to become dented. From an accidental shunt or prang on the road through to an overzealous piece of reversing near a wall, there are plenty of opportunities for it to become damaged both on the road and when parked. Over time rust will eat away at the edges, the seals will go and wires and locks can become damaged. Often a simple visual inspect will confirm whether or not it needs changing.
Purchasing a good replacement boot lid should be no problem. However lids vary across models and makes and some have lights and wiring built into their construction, whilst others are simple covers for the rear of your car. Most have hydraulic systems that can be dealt with by even a novice mechanic, however due to the weight of the part it is always good to have an assistant.

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How to Replace Roof Rails on your Car

roof rails

Everyone knows there’s only limited space in your car’s boot. You can only fit so much on the back seat. So when the car is completely stacked and there’s not an inch of room for packing, or alternatively for those large items like surfboards you’ll need a roof rack. In order to fit a roof rack you’ll need roof rails – but what to do if these are cracked or broken?

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Replacing Your Car’s Grille

Car grille

The grille can be found at the front of your car covering the radiator and air intake. Sometimes amateur car lovers can even confuse it with the radiator, but actually it only protects this part from taking in foreign bodies. However, its position does make it fairly prone to damage, especially if you drive on many country roads where you could hit small animals or debris could fly up into the part.A simple visual inspection will inform you as to the current state of your grille, and problems or damage will be obvious. Holes or breakages in the grille should be attended to immediately as they could lead to other parts incurring damage due to debris and particles blowing into your engine bay.

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Replacing a Car Wing

car wing needing replacement

Your car’s wing is an integral part of its bodywork. Small accidents or collisions could cause this part to buckle or bend, becoming completely useless. In the event that your wing is either too damaged to be fixed, or not really worth the money of employing a panel beater to fix, then changing this part yourself should be simple.

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How to Replace a Car’s Rear Bumper

rear bumper

One of the biggest dangers when driving is other road users. When you’ve stopped at a junction no-one wants to hear that crunching sound that indicates a good rear-ending from the vehicle behind. At low speeds your rear bumper can absorb the shock and strain of a collision, but often it will take tremendous damage in the impact. In such cases you can quickly and easily buy a spare rear bumper and replace yourself with very little mechanical knowledge.

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How to Replace a Front Bumper

Front Bumper

Although cars have a robust strength presented by the chassis and frame of the vehicle, the bodywork can be easily dented. Your front bumper is the part of the car that will deflect most bumps and bangs on the road, saving you a fortune at the panel beaters. However, over time the wear and tear on this part can cause it to fail and need replacing.

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Spraying and fitting a new car bonnet

spraying a bonnet

Wear and tear on the front of your car soon adds up, and even a minor prang can leave your bonnet looking in a thoroughly disreputable state. You will be able to address much of this yourself with touch-ups or – if it’s bad enough – a complete respray. But in worse cases it’s far simpler to ditch the old bonnet and start again. Double-skinned bonnets are particularly hard to repair, since they cannot be hammered out. There are ways of ‘sucking’ out dents, but these are hit and miss – and, in any case, you’ll need to repaint afterwards anyway.

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