Undersealing Your Car

The first thing to do is give the vehicle an initial inspection and assessment.Then it is important to clean the underside of the vehicle, removing all dirt and loose rust or flaking underseal/paint. Any plastic, inner wheel arch covers should be carefully removed at this point to gain access to the areas behind - which are often secretly harbouring months, if not years of mud and dirt accumulation.
Then the brakes and exhausts should be carefully masked up before it is coated with durable, black, rust inhibiting underseal.
Underseal is a thick resilient coating which protects against impact damage from small stones, which would rapidly chip ordinary paint, allowing rusting to begin.
A bitumen-based compound was used originally, but after approximately a decade this becomes brittle and water can become trapped between the underseal and body metal, ironically creating a more favourable environment for rust than if no underseal was applied at all. Wax-based underseals do not have this disadvantage but can be eroded and eventually washed off by enthusiastic use of a hot pressure washer. Rubber-based underseals are also sometimes used.
Waxoyl is also advised to be injected into all the crossmembers.All the necessary interior trim is carefully removed. Rust inhibiting cavity wax is then applied at high pressure inside every box section such as the pillars, doors, sills and boot etc.Sometimes it maybe neccessary to drill a small hole to enable the waxoyl to be injected into the cavitys that are otherwise impossible to get to,then these are sealed with a small black, plastic plug to retain a standard appearance.
When the treatment is complete, any necessary parts are unmasked. Any removed trim is carefully refitted and any overspray would be cleaned from the bodywork.

This results in a neat, weather proof 'factory look' finish
The process usually takes around 8 hours - depending upon the vehicle size, type, condition and preparation time required. Please note however that larger vehicles may require slightly longer than a day to complete.
The benefits of a complete treatment include:are peace of mind in the knowledge that your car is protected,your car retains its highest possible resale value,reduced maintenance & repair bills
and reduced road noise (‘drumming’)

Dave Burton
www.bargain-motors.com

What To Do In The Event Of An Accident

What to do if you have a Car Accident
If you’re involved in an accident, it is important to get as much information as possible. If you are injured or in a state of shock, there is still information you can provide by returning to the scene of the accident as soon as possible and jotting down a few pointers.
This will assist your claim by helping both your insurance company and solicitor obtain the best possible outcome at a later date. It is advisable to carry a pen, paper and disposable camera (altho most new phones have camera's nowadays) in your car to help you to accurately record the accident details.
Information to collect if possible at the time of incident
Contact details including names, addresses and telephone numbers of drivers, pedestrians and passengers involved. If a party is driving within the course of his employment, take both the driver and the employer's details. It may be worth noting a description of the driver, location and any distinguishing features
Time and date of the accident
Gather as many vehicle details including vehicle make, model, registration number, color, any modifications and if relevant, the number of passengers in each vehicle
Whether the parties were using headlights and/or indicator lights
The weather, visibility and lighting conditions, including street lighting
Name, "collar number" and force details of any police officer attending and other emergency services details if appropriate
Identify the damage to each vehicle involved.
Identify any injuries to persons involved
If you have a camera, take some photographs of the accident scene
Useful information to jot down at the time or after the accident;
A full description of what happened including sketches of the vehicles’ positioning.
Estimated speed of the vehicles involved
The type of road
A description of the scene of the accident, including any relevant road markings, signals, obstructions etc (i.e. skip outside property at road junction)
Whether the parties were using headlights or indicator.
Reporting;
It is an offence to refuse to give details to the other driver following an accident, if there has been injury or property damage
Accidents must be reported to the police within 24 hours
Inform your insurance company of the accident as quickly as possible. The company may refuse to insure you if you have not notified them of the accident within the time period set out in the policy.

Dave Burton
www.bargain-motors.com