From the bay
DIY guides & tool lists
Every guide answers one question: can a regular person with a driveway and a weekend fix this? Steps, the exact tools, a 30-second video, and an honest "call a pro" line.
01BUMPERFix a scuffed or cracked plastic bumper
Most bumper scuffs and short cracks are a weekend DIY job: weld or glue the crack from behind, fill, then prime and paint.
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02PDRPull door dings with a glue-pull PDR kit
Shallow, round dings with no cracked paint can usually be pulled out with a glue kit, and no painting needed.
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03RUSTFix wheel-arch rust before it spreads
Surface rust and small bubbles are DIY-fixable if you grind to clean metal; rust that's eaten through needs a patch panel or a pro.
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04PAINTRemove scratches and revive hazy clear coat
If your fingernail doesn't catch on the scratch, it's only in the clear coat and a polisher will remove it in an afternoon.
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05LIGHTSRestore foggy, yellow headlights
Yellow headlights are oxidized plastic, not dirty glass: sand it off, polish, then seal it or it comes back within months.
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06GLASSReplace a smashed side window
Side windows are tempered glass that shatters into cubes, so it can't be repaired, only replaced; with the right glass it's a 1–2 hour job per door.
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07TINTWindow tint: what the % means and whether to DIY it
Tint percentage is how much light gets through (lower = darker); flat side windows are DIY-able with practice, but curved rear glass is where most DIY jobs go wrong.
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08TIRESCheck tire pressure and tread the right way
Set your tires to the pressure on the driver's door-jamb sticker, not the number on the tire, and check them cold once a month.
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09WHEELSRepair curb rash on alloy wheels
Light-to-medium curb rash on painted silver wheels sands, fills and paints out at home; machined or diamond-cut faces need a wheel shop.
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10DETAILFull detail and DIY ceramic coating
A ceramic coating only looks as good as the paint under it, so 80% of this job is the wash, decontamination and polish before the coating goes on.
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