Gifts for Car Enthusiasts!

Gifts for Someone Who Loves Cars

 I've always found that detailing my car is very zen and calming. I love to spend the time making my vehicle look better, making it shine, keeping it looking new. A lot of motorheads love working on their engine because it's like figuring out a puzzle and at the end of the job, they can feel proud of their accomplishment.

What does your boyfriend, husband, or father like best about cars? Or are YOU the car lover?

So what do you get someone who loves cars?

There's so many items to choose from, so many confusing brands, where do you start? And what if they already have everything?
Well, I've bought and thrown away many car products so I'll give you advice as to what works and what every car lover HAS to have in their garage. If you need a gift for Christmas, Father's Day, or a birthday, I know what you should buy for you favorite gearhead or car buff.

Quick Gifts for Car Lovers

Last Minute Gifts for Car Buffs

When you need to buy gifts quick and don't have a lot of time, what do you buy for someone who loves cars? Easy! Make a gift basket! Sure, you can get a basket, that no one will have any use for, but I say, buy a new bucket. It can easily be used for a 2 bucket car wash.

These will make fine stocking-stuffers for the car enthusiasts on your Christmas list or Father's Day!

A gift basket like this can be thrown together quickly with a just a couple of stops at the grocery store and the auto parts store.

Inside that bucket you can stuff all sorts of presents for petrolheads and gifts for gearheads. Once you detail your daily driver, it'll feel like a garage queen!

• Bounce Dryer Sheets with an optional bottle of bug and tar remover. Nothing gets bugs off the front of a car better than a wet Bounce sheet. Combine that with bug and tar spray and you can remove every bug every time.
• Microfiber Towels. You just can't have enough. Use them to buff off wax, clean windows, wipe excess spray while claying, use with detail spray, and with Armour-all. I bought a big pack at Costco and you can buy small packs (that aren't enough) at your local auto store. You can really fill a bucket with microfiber towels! They're great!
• Clay Bar. Mother's has a 2 bar pack that you can pick up at your local auto store or buy on Amazon. I clay both cars every few months and you have no idea how smooth your paint can be once you pull out all the grit. 1 clay bar (for windows too) will last a very long time.
• Gloves. If you watch The Velocity Channel, you see that most of the mechanics are wearing gloves these days. They protect your hands from sharp engine parts, engine grease, and heat. Once again, you can buy mechanics gloves at your local auto store or you can buy them online to get a better selection of styles and colors. Mechanix online has them in pink and zombie green and camo...
• Rubber Gloves. Ok, they aren't rubber anymore, but you can pick these up by the box at the grocery store. Find heavy duty rubber gloves at your auto parts store. Great for greasy brakes jobs or oil changes.
• Hand Cleaner. If you want to try a more personal touch, here's a recipe for hand cleaner: "About a tablespoon of Dawn dish soap, a tablespoon of corn meal, and just enough water to make it "useable". Exact proportions are not crucial." Or just go buy some of that orange smelling squirt pump bottles from your local auto store.
• 4 Ought Steel Wool. You can buy this at Home Depot, Lowes, or some auto parts stores. Dry 0000 steel wool will absolutely, 100% clean the nasty off of your windows. It is so fine that it will NOT scratch your glass. Also the exact right tool for polishing chrome. If you are a chrome fanatic, I've heard that Harley Davidson makes THE best chrome polish on the market.
• Rain-X. Once you're moving over 40 mph, you don't need windshield wipers. Been using this for years. Now they have a 2-in-1 Glass Cleaner + Rain Repellent. Spray some on your windshield wipers too.
• Wipe-New. I bought it on sale at the auto store. It made my weathered old trim look a LOT better.
• Mothers Back-to-Black Trim Care. The Wipe New worked better on my fenders because they were REALLY faded. This stuff here made the not-so-bad trim around the rear lights and the trim on the back bumper look brand new. I have bought other brands at the grocery store and at the cheaper auto parts store that claimed to do the same job. They didn't do a thing. Nothing. Mothers not only brought the black color back, it's a wax and water beads nicely. Buy it on Amazon or a good local auto parts store.
• Tire Dressing Applicators. They're always falling apart so it's an item to always keep buying. I haven't tried these yet but I suspect it's better quality than the ones I keep replacing. Also, a better tire dressing is Opti-Bond Tire Gel. It's also sold on Amazon, sometimes for cheaper. Check. It goes on like a lotion, but you can thin it and spray it on. Last longer than the tire shine products that I've bought so far.
• California Duster. At your next car show, lightly use a California Duster to remove grit before you spray on detailing spray or waterless wash. Can be found at Target or some local auto stores.
• Langka Chip and Scratch Repair Kit. Use the Langka Chip and Scratch Repair Kit, along with your matching paint from the dealer, to touch up scratches and chips from daily driving. 

Travel Mug gifts for Car Buffs

if they allow eating and drinking inside their vehicle

 

 Have You Tried Wipe-New?

Used Wipe-New on the fenders and the trim around the top of the bed. Looks great!

 



This is the edge of my fender where I didn't get the WIpe-New all the way to the edge. You can see the difference in the faded lighter color versus the rest of the fender.

Tire Dressing 

Opti-Bond Tire Gel, goes on like a lotion, not a spray.

If you're wondering about the wheels, I spray-painted those with Plasti Dip. Bought it at Lowes.

Junkman's 2-Bucket Wash Technique

Because you better float that dirt off

What happens to your paint if you get leaves or grit on your car washing sponge?
The Junkman is a little wordy and his videos made to show you 1 thing stretch out to 4-5 or more but he's entertaining.
"This is a brother in his garage production."
If you don't like his style, google, "2 bucket car wash," and you'll see, this is the way professional details wash cars. 

 

"Aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines."

Enzo Ferrari

The Best Present for a Petrolhead is a PC7424xp

  How to Machine Polish Your Car 

because I know you're scared 

I know that when I suggested a big expensive polisher for your car, you flipped out. I know you did. I know you're thinking it can't really be necessary or maybe you heard stories about someone who tried a machine on their car and it ruined the paint! Got too hot and burned it or put a bunch of swirl scratches into it. I have good news for you. If you use the right equipment for the job, you will get the right results. My husband bought a 2010 Camaro SS and the original owner put swirled scratches all over that black paint because they didn't know what they were doing plus they used the wrong tool for the job. I fixed it using an orange hexlogic pad, 105, and a my PC7424xp. I made those scratches disappear. If you can find this stuff at your local auto store, then great, buy it there. I found that only one store carries the 105 and the 205 and no one had the Porter Cable 7424xp or the pads so I bought them on Amazon. 

Gifts Every Car Lover Loves 

because a shiny car gets the looks 

1) Orange 5.5 med/heavy cut pads
2) Meguiar's M105
3) White 5.5 med/light pads
4) Meguiar's M205

WHY Are These Ideal Gift for Car Collectors, As Well As Every Car on the Street?

Are your headlights a cloudy yellow mess?

Listen, you people have gotten so used to clouded dim headlights that I constantly am flashed with brights from oncoming traffic because they think I have my brights on!  Sorry, dimmies, those are just stock original 2002 headlights--that are clean!
Renew your headlights with the same tools you used to polish your paint. I also polished the rubber gaskets around the windows and brake lights and that all looks new and smooth. The older the car, the more you need the PC7424xp. It cleans everything.

After I detailed the car.
Washed, clayed, polished with 105, then 205, and then waxed.

 "Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall.
Torque is how far you take the wall with you."

Need new micro-fiber towels?  Visit The Rag Company, click here for edgeless Pro Eagle blue micro-fiber towels that aren't the cheap Chinese ones that stick to your hands.  Exactly, that whole sticking to your hands thing is bad.  These Eagle Blue edgeless towels are approved by The Junkman, himself!  Excellent price and FREE SHIPPING on FRIDAY! 

 

Automotive Interior Gifts for Car Buffs

Gifts for cleaning the interior of the vehicle

These are the tools for getting the best results and make your car look like new. Notice the use of the PC7424xp? This really is THE tool for every part of your car detailing. 

 So I hope the videos gave you some ideas of what tools the pros use and what you can buy for your car lover or even yourself.  If you love your car, don't scratch swirls into the paint.  Speaking of paint, I recently had my truck painted.  NOT because it was full of scratches but because I told myself when I bought it new, off the lot, that I would one day paint it the color I wanted. I mean, who wants thin paint with no depth?  And why does the dealer get to pick the color?  I only get what's on the lot?  Nope.  It's paid for and I painted it.

 It's black cherry, the dragon is painted on in candy so it dances in the light, and I told Chris Cruz that there's no such thing as too much glitter!

And that's spray-on truck bedding (professional grade) on the trim and rocker panels with a shiny clear coat.  And yes, you can buy that for yourself at Home Depot and totally do it yourself.

 

Here's how to do it yourself

Check out Chris Cruz Artistry and see the amazing art he's painting on new 2014 vettes, trucks, and motorcycles!