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Author tannerbotts Categories Uncategorized Posted on

3 Tips for Preventing Your Car from Rusting in Hawaii’s Salty Air

Wherever you live, if you don’t take precautions to prevent your vehicle from rust, you’re going to have issues. But in Hawaii, where you’re never far from the ocean and the salty air, if you don’t protect your car from rust, it won’t be long before you need to come into the shop to get a major rust problem fixed. Fortunately, if you know how to take care of your car from the beginning, the issues you have with rust (if you do have them) will be simple for us to repair at our auto body shop. To help you avoid major rust repairs, here’s a quick list of things you can do to avoid rust on your vehicle in Hawaii.

Wash Your Car Regularly (and With the Right Supplies)

Lots of people mistakenly think that washing your car is all about looks, but it’s also very important for the long-term health of your vehicle and its paint, especially when it comes to rust issues. When salt air from the ocean sits on your car for weeks on end, it has even more time to eat away at your paint. Even worse, the rust can extend to your fuel and brake lines as well as many parts of your vehicle’s body. The important parts under your hood, such as electrical connectors, are vulnerable to rusting as well. Regularly washing your car will prevent sea salt from building up. Just remember to use a car washing soap—dishwashing soap and other solutions won’t protect your vehicle’s finish as effectively. Also, don’t use scratchy or dirty sponges and be sure to wash your car as soon as possible if you’ve been near the beach.

Apply Wax Each Year to Protect Your Vehicle from Rust

Wax provides protection from both the sun and salt which, as you know, are especially strong in Hawaii. Everyone on the island should apply wax to their car at least once or twice per year for the best protection possible. When you wax, do it in the shade and make sure your car is dry. Apply thin coats of wax and use a clean, poly foam wax applicator. When it’s time to buff the wax, use a microfiber towel.

Have Your Vehicle Inspected At an Auto Body Shop

There are many parts of your car, especially the undercarriage, which are susceptible to rusting caused by Hawaii’s salty air. Even if you do crawl under your car, check the tire wells, inspect under the hood, and more, chances are that without the trained eye of a pro, you might miss something. So bring your car in for a regular inspection at an auto body shop. The sooner you find out that part of your vehicle is rusting, the sooner you can take action to repair that rust before it does more serious damage.
Author tannerbotts Categories Uncategorized Posted on

How Do I Get Bluetooth in My Car?

How Do I Get Bluetooth In My Car?

In Hawaii, distracted driving laws are strict, which is why more than 17,000 citations were issued during 2017 due to driver distractedness.  That’s why it’s so important that, if you plan to talk on your cell phone while driving, you get Bluetooth installed in your car so you can use your phone hands-free and listen to music.

But How Do You Install Bluetooth in a Car that Doesn’t Already Have it?

Basically you have three options. Either you use a universal Bluetooth kit, a vehicle-specific Bluetooth adapter, or an aftermarket stereo with Bluetooth functionality. Each one has its benefits and drawbacks as far installation, features and ease of use. To help make the process of selecting and installing a hands-free system like Bluetooth in your vehicle easier, we’ll run through each one of these options.

Universal Bluetooth Kit Installation and Overview

As you might guess by the name, you can make the universal Bluetooth kit work in any vehicle. These devices vary quite a bit in terms of functionality and hardware though. Some kits are as simple as a small microphone and speaker that mount on the dashboard or clip to a sun visor. These work okay except that you won’t be able to listen to music—you’ll only be able to do hands-free calling. This also means your stereo isn’t integrated with the Bluetooth so when someone calls you’ll need to remember to turn down the music. With other kits, you can wire the adapter to the stereo so you can stream music. For this, you’ll need the pros at UNIBODY Autotech Collision Center to remove your car’s stereo and wire the adapter to your stereo wiring.

Vehicle-specific Bluetooth Adapter Installation and Overview

These adapters are specially designed to work with your car’s factory stereo. With a vehicle-specific adapter, you’ll need professionals to remove your radio and wire the adapter to your vehicle’s radio and wiring. The upside here is that you can keep your radio and get all the perks of Bluetooth just like you would if the car came with it. You’ll be able to see info from your phone on the display of your stereo and you can stream music and make calls. The last thing you’ll need is a microphone which will either sit on your dashboard or clip on a sun visor.

Aftermarket Stereo With Bluetooth Functionality Installation and Overview

If you’re installing an aftermarket stereo, it’s a great time to install Bluetooth in your older car. Plenty of new stereos come with Bluetooth capabilities so you won’t even need to buy the most expensive one (unless you want to). Plus, you’ll have all the benefits of Bluetooth that you’d have with a vehicle-specific adapter except that you don’t have to install a separate adapter box.

Ready to Stop Getting Distracted Driving Tickets in Hawaii?

Come by the UNIBODY Autotech Collision Center shop and ask us about our Bluetooth or hands-free installations. We’ll get you back out on the road safely and focused on your driving (not your phone) in no time.
Author tannerbotts Categories Uncategorized Posted on

How To Install Reverse Parking Sensors On Your Car Or Truck

Even if your car didn’t come with reversing sensors already installed, you can still enjoy the perks of stress-free parking. At UNIBODY Autotech Collision Center, we’ve installed plenty of backup sensors (and cameras) to help our customers park smarter.

Though we’d recommend you come into the shop to have this installation done by our professionals, we’ll outline the basics of installation so you can understand the process better. Just keep in mind that the installation may differ a little bit based on the type of car you’re installing the sensors on.

Choosing the Reverse Sensor Installation Locations

The first step is to figure out where the reverse parking sensors will go. Grab a measuring tape and some masking tape, then mark the locations of where the sensors will be placed. You’ll want the sensors to be between 12 to 15 inches apart and 20 to 32 inches from the floor. And the spacing between the sensors themselves should be even. Finally, make sure the area of the bumper you choose is flat so the sensors will be facing directly out rather than up and down or side to side. Once you have the locations chosen, you need to drill the holes in which you’ll place the sensors. This part is a little tricky (part of the reason we recommend professional installation) because you need to make sure you have the right size drill bit and you need to hold the drill at a 90-degree angle. Otherwise, the sensors aren’t going to fit well.

Placing and Wiring the Reverse Parking Sensors

Once you’ve drilled the holes, clean up the drill holes to make sure no rough edges are left—this is especially important in Hawai’i where rough edges can lead to corrosion. Since, at this point, you’re almost ready to wire the sensors, you need a power supply. Your sensors come with a control unit which needs to be connected to the power supply for your parking lights. You’ll need to check your owner’s manual to find the power leads for your reverse parking light. Then, once you’ve located the wiring for the reverse parking lights, you’ll need to connect the control unit’s wiring to those power leads. From there, you just need to connect the correct inputs from the reversing sensors to the control unit. Also, keep in mind that your control unit should be in a location that’s not going to get wet or damaged.

Enjoy Parking With Ease All Over Hawai’i

Parking on the crowded streets of downtown Honolulu? Squeezing into a spot on the side of the road on a busy North Shore day? Either way, once you’ve got your car’s backup sensors installed, parking is easy and stress-free. Give us a call if you have any questions about car backup sensor installations. And if you’re looking to take a step further and install a backup camera as well, we can help with that too.
Author tannerbotts Categories Uncategorized Posted on

Paint-less Dent Repair:

What it is, How it Works, and Why You Shouldn’t Try it at Home At UNIBODY AutoTech, we get a lot of questions about paint-less dent repair or PDR. Many people get the wrong impression about paint-less dent repair thanks to those late-night infomercials. While auto body professionals like us know that you need special tools to massage dents out, infomercials will have you believe that a cheap kit with some glue and a tool that you twist and pull will get the job done. But these tools can damage your car and the informercials’ demonstration isn’t how professional paint-less dent repair is done. We’ll take you through the process of PDR to dispel any myths you might’ve heard on TV. The Art and Science of Paint-less Dent Repair (PDR) Unlike, say, wiring you car with reverse sensors, or aligning a vehicle’s wheels, paint-less dent repair is less about mechanical skill and more about the technician’s ability to control his hands as he slowly massages out a dent. To do PDR, a technician will first decide if paint-less dent removal is possible, then they’ll select the appropriate tools to access the inside of the dent. Once they’ve gained access to the interior of your vehicle’s body, they’ll slowly work from the inside of the dent to massage it out. If you’re trying to do paint-less dent removal on your own, you run the risk of pushing the dent out too far which stretches the metal. As a result, unless you get it just right, this causes the metal to become loose and flabby which will have to be replaced. The Tools of PDR The other important part of PDR is the tools. When it comes to PDR, you can go from cheap tools (like the ones you’ll see on infomercials) to very high-end, specialized tools. As you might imagine, with any type of PDR tool, you get what you pay for. But good tools allow a professional technician to repair your dent with the right level and shape of pressure. Plus, with a proper arsenal of tools, auto body professionals can access the area behind the dent without damaging other parts of your car… which brings us to the next point. Accessing the Inside of a Dent Of course, the difficulty of accessing a dent varies depending on where the dent itself is, but lots of damage happens when amateurs try to access the inside of a dent to push it out. For example, if you drive a hatchback and you have a dent on the hatch, you likely have a few layers of trim panels to get through before you can actually access the interior of your car’s body. Breaking panels is expensive and not worth the risk when dent repair at an auto body shop is so easy. Paint-less Dent Repair in Honolulu, Hawaii We can remove minor dents from the body of your vehicle using paint-less dent repair on aluminum and/or steel panels. Give us a call if you’ve got a dent and we can let you know if it’s possible to fix with paint-less dent repair.
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