I come across certain products every once in a while that I just can’t pass up due to the simplicity and permanent factor.  With the fast paced world we live in today simple and permanent are something we dont get very often. But I think I’ve found something thats going to revolutionize the way automotive headlights are restored and become a regular staple to any Automotive Restoration Tech, Detail Shop or even Automotive Dealers as well.

Now I know from being in the automotive business that there are “Headlight Restoration Kits”, and I did put that in quotes for a reason, and I think you know why… they Don’t work! Or they work alright they just don’t last. Well with the Safe Light Headlight Restoration Kit your worries are gone. No more hoping it will work or thinking its worked… how bout it worked and worked right?

Whats so special about this headlight resoration kit is that process is so easy and virtually fool proof if the steps are followed right.  Its safe for the vehicle and you as well and the best thing about this process is that its a permanent fix to a plagued market of failed processes.

Recon-it Right Products is LIVE!

You read it right! Recon-it Right Products is LIVE! Viper Products and The Interior Guy, LLC. have teamed up to bring you the New Midwest Distribution Center located right here in the heart of the Midwest, Springfield, Missouri.

This will give all you guys located in or around me the ability to get your products faster, more efficiently, and for some cheaper by knocking down on the shipping costs. You can visit us right here right now online at ReconitRight.com .

I’ve been putting this together now since the Mobile Tech Expo, when a fire was lit under my butt and I decided I wanted to tackle this little monster. Well it’s been kinda slow going with a few road bumps along the way but I’m pretty confident I’m up and ready for operation now.

After the expo one big snag I ran into was the huge influx of business Tom got hit with at Viper Products. Which is an incredibly good thing, but wow it blew us away! Viper Products business all but tripled in volume and Tom literally ran out of product for me.

So after time and patients on my part, (which if you know me I have none, I guess its that OCD in me or something, but hey I get it done lol )I’ve got most of the product I need to get started with most small orders and a few larger ones and as you all keep trickling in I’ll just keep adding on and getting bigger and better.

I’m here to tell ya guys I’m pretty excited about this little adventure here. I have got so much to bring you and so many great products. Not only am I going to have Interior Restoration Products but Exterior Detailing Supplies as well. Now the Exterior Detailing Supplies wont be widely available at first but just hang on cause this rides gonna get wild I’m telling you.

I want to bring you guys everything that I can get my hands on that is top of line product, officially tested and proven to work top notch. I want you guys to have the best of the best. I’ve spent years in this business doing my research and after many trials and errors, I’m here to try to eliminate all doubt about this industry.

So don’t hesitate to jump on over to ReconitRight.com and SIGN UP and take a look around at the products and get familiar with all thats there. Now when you register I have to approve you before you can order so give me just a few. I check in several times a day so it won’t be long before your ordering from one the largest suppliers of Automotive Restoration Products in the nationRecon-it Right Products, Viper Products NEW Midwest Distributor!

Keeping your car as fresh and spotless as possible isn’t  just about sending it through the car wash a couple times a month.  Nor is vacuuming the inside and not letting trash build up.  Those are basic steps that nearly every car owner does to ensure their ride looks its absolute best.

To really keep your car’s interior up to par, to really get the most “like-new” feeling, drivers must take the necessary steps and abide by a few golden rules to ensure that their dashboards, leather seating and/or carpet flooring holds up well throughout the car’s lifespan.

From leather treatments to car detailing to window protection tips, there are of interior car care tips to follow.  Here are just a few for starters.

Window Covers

To really protect the interior, you need to look first at putting up a barrier along the windows to fight off the sun.  The sun’s UV rays during summertime don’t just cause an unprotected car to heat up considerably (and those who’ve put their hands on a piping hot steering wheel can attest), it also can be a huge detriment to the condition of your car’s dashboard and leather seats.  Dashboards become more susceptible to fading from constant exposure to the sun while the leather throughout your car not only can fade, but may crack and split open.

Put simply, go out and buy a fold-out windshield cover.  The cover’s relatively cheap, easy to set up and provides great cover for the dashboard and interior seating.  And since UV rays are more intense in the summertime because of the sun’s positioning, it becomes even more important to have a simple blockade up.

Window Tinting

Tinting your windows isn’t just for drivers who want their car to look like a street racer.  Far from it.  The main thing with window tinting is that it lowers the blinding effect of the sun and acts as added protection against the UV rays.  Plus, as an added bonus, the interior temperature is drastically cut down depending on which level of tinting is applied.  Essentially, think of window tinting as sun screen for your car and as long as the tint grade is under the acceptable guidelines from local law enforcement, your car’s interior will appreciate the gesture in the end.

Detailing and Cleaning

Probably the most obvious stop-gap with interior car care, but then again, some drivers simply forget to do it.  Detailing and cleaning.  Rinse and repeat.  However it’s said, car detailing, – whether it’s shampooing the car mats and carpet or applying leather sealant to combat natural wear-and-tear – is a must if you love your car.

Buying up cleaning products such as Armor-All wipes for the dashboard, steering wheel and front-end of the console is a good start.  And when you apply the wipes, don’t go to the extremes with each application.  With that I’m saying don’t apply too much protection, nor should you use one wipe, and one wipe only.  Having too much of a protective base on the steering wheel can make your hands slide and slip around, essentially giving you less of a grip.

And if you don’t want to do it yourself, schedule a monthly or bimonthly trip to a local auto body shop that provides detailing, select a plan that fits your budget, sit back and let the pros handle the complete treatments.

In the end, it’s safe to assume that over time, the interior of your car can be prone to fading, cracking and have a grimy, filmy effect if ignored entirely.  Tending to your car’s needs every once in a while can make your ride look and feel it’s best from one journey to the next.

About The Author:  Kyle is an automotive enthusiast, freelance writer and consultant for a Kansas City Chevy dealership that provides new and used Chevy cars and much more.

Mike, Tom, Phillip, Randy

What an incredible time I have to say The Interior Guy and the Viper Products Team had at the Mobile Tech Expo 2012! From what I heard over 9000 people went through the Worldgate Resort in Orlando, Florida. All I know is it was awesome for all of the people that were there both exhibitors as well as Mobile Techs and you newbies too. A ton of information was shared between all techs which is something I thought was so awesome. No matter how seasoned you may be there is always something new and better to learn. This business is always a learning adventure for sure, I love it!

The range of booths that were set up was almost perfect, there were booths from Dent guys to Interior Guys to Paint and Autobody and even a few in between. The show is growing bigger and better every year for sure. Now being the first year that I went I really don’t have much to go on but from I’ve heard this one was the best. Of course there’s always room for growth and improvement so I’m definitely looking forward to next years show and what The Interior Guy and Viper Products will have to show as well as the other exhibitors and the Mobile Tech News crew.

Well its been a week since Ive gotten back and wow what a week I’ve had. First I want to say I don’t like the weather here as much! Man it was nice in Orlando, nice 80 degree days in January is something I could get used to for sure. But I have to say its nice to be home to my family and my clients. Kinda got a little behind being out of the loop for 3 days so as u know when you get behind its always tough plus add my new adventure and well let me explain…

Big things are happening here at The Interior Guy! While I was in Florida soaking up the warmth I was also soaking in the idea of expanding. Starting next month if everything works as planned The Interior Guy will be a distributor for Viper Products. Yep a distributor! This is gonna be incredible for you all as my following as well as for The Interior Guy. Not only will I be posting about new products as well as instructional help but I will be able to supply you with the products as well, cool huh? Location is also a big thing with shipping costs these days and with us being right smack dab in the middle of US, how could it get any better. So now Viper Products will have the country covered for all your Automotive Interior Repair Products. The main office in Orlando, a distributor in California and now here in Missouri. With all this at one place you shouldn’t have any probs getting the top of line automotive interior repairs to your customers.

I’m stoked and my wife is as well. She will be doing most of the order taking and shipping and I will still be doing repairs and taking care of my clients here, as well as my interior repair training, since my training program is designed around the real world situations I surely don’t want to leave my clients. Plus now that I’m wearing the big boy pants I cant forget who put the diapers on me . For now you will still call the 1-800 number and place your orders with my main man Randy Singh, and it will probably be that way for a while until I can get my wife up and going with this.

So keep your eyes out for changes here at Automotive Interior Repair with The Interior Guy. I hope to get products up soon as well as reopening my forum for more access to Q&A. My forum just got out of hand with spammers and I just didnt have the time nor patience to put up with them, but I’ll bite the bullet and get’r back up soon.

One thing I have added is a map locator on my contact page which is the beginnings of a nation wide locator for automotive interior professionals. This is going to be my way of networking everyone together. So with that said if you want your info on the map shoot me an email with what you want in the bubble and I’ll put it up there. I think this will be a killer tool for all, so get your info emails in soon!

Well the Mobile Tech Expo 2012 was definitely a big success in my book and it really put a fire under my butt to get things rocking and rolling in the automotive interior repair profession.

I hope you all had as much fun as I did in Orlando and I look forward to seeing each and everyone of you all again real soon.

Talk to ya soon – Mike “The Interior Guy”

An increasing number of accidents on the road are due to people focusing more on their cell phone than their driving. Five states and the District of Columbia have banned the use of hand-held phones while driving. A NYPD officer trying to enforce the cell phone use law told NPR that every second car has a person holding a phone while driving. A study by the insurance industry found that while phone use dipped by about half right after New York’s law went into effect in 2001, within a year, it had bounced back to pre-restriction levels, despite a $100 fine.

Not only for legal reasons, but also safety, convenience and allowing yourself a greater ability to multi-task, there are a few interior car accessories, aside from buying a Bluetooth and throwing your phone on the passenger seat, that ought to be considered in making driving and talking more efficient.

Non-Slip Pads. Can be easily stuck on top of the dash or any convenient place within reach. Allows for quick placement of phones as well as keys, iPods, iPad and anything that needs to be nearby.

Power Outlet/Charger/USB Adapter. Most versions will plug easily into the car cigarette lighter and some will fit into a cup holder. Various options will convert a single outlet to multiple power sources allowing you to charge your phone, computer and other accessories on the go.

Phone Holder Mounts. Most on the market are easily attachable and are adjustable to fit any phone. Some options include mounting to horizontal or vertical vents, on the glove box door or window channel. Using either a Bluetooth or simply the phone speaker, you can easily talk while driving. Numbers you have access to via voice command can be dialed, but manual dialing, no matter how close the phone is to you, is not recommended while driving.

Speaker Steering Wheel. One of the more recent interior car accessories to hit the market, it is Bluetooth compatible and totally hands-free. The device clips to the steering wheel and allows you to make, answer, end and reject calls safely and easily while focusing on the road. With features such as built-in speakers, voice dialing, call rejection, last number redial, call holding and call waiting it is very handy for people using their phone a great deal in the car. The built-in rechargeable lithium battery allows up to 5 hours of talk time or 250 hours of standby time.

Hey guys its Mike – The Interior Guy here with some more great tips for your Automotive Interior Repair needs. Long time no posts huh? Its been totally crazy here at the Warren Ranch with training, taking care of biz, and fun family activities, but had a great summer with business and personal, and I hope you all had the same.

Well to start out with I want to welcome a couple of new peeps to the list of Automotive Interior Trainees I’ve had the honor to train. First is a gentleman from Virginia Beach, Virginia…Reuel Atkinson,  he’s already a tech down there but just needed a little refresher and learn some new techniques to give him more guaranteed repairs. He spent 3 days with me and we covered a lot of material thru those days for sure but I know when he left he had a whole new outlook on his repairs. He’s an extremely picky guy like me so we got along great, lol.

Secondly but not least for sure is my guys from Delta Sonic, and a big shout out to my yankee buds, John and Scott…what a hoot of a time we had as well as a lot of learning and hard work. John and Scott spent the full 2 week session with me and are taking there excelled skills back to the Chicago and Buffalo, New York areas. I have to say I was extremely proud of these guys when we got done. I had them in la la land for the first couple of days with all the information I had thrown at them, but by the third and forth days they were itching to get in there and work. In my program I ease these guys into the repairs so when they do the repair they are knowledgeable enough with the products and how they work that they can do a repair with ease from start to finish, so I understand their itch, lol, but like I’ve always said…patience, patience, patience, that is probably the most important thing in this business. By the last days of training with John and Scott they were champs for sure. In fact they probably didn’t even need me there for some of the repairs at the end…

Well now that we’ve gotten the intros out of the way, lets get down to business…

Cracked Leather Repair and Conditioning the leather with Fatliquor before you repair.  Ok first I want to talk a bit about cracked leather repair and then the application of the fatliquor because they kinda go in congruent steps so…

I’ve struggled for years with cracked leather and how to sand and eliminate as much of a crack as possible. The reason is to have not to add too much filler or even none at all. I’ve come up with a pretty good trick I want to share with you today that i think will save you time and your customers leather as well.

It’s a lot like the previous posts of wet sanding leather with my prepping solution, which by the way I’ve kinda eliminated in the prepping of leather due to pH problems and I’ll explain that here in a minute.

Now cracks in the leather start in the top layer of urethane and migrate thru to the leather and thats where we’re gonna start is breaking through that top layer and expose the leather underneath. The reason for this is to eliminate the cracked coating and to soften the edges of the cracks in the leather making them look more like a creases then a cracks.

To do this I use a mixture of 60-40 Acetone and Denatured Alcohol with a piece of 120 grit sandpaper.  One thing to I will say when doing this is to be careful not to drip the solution onto other parts of the vehicle because it will leave a spot or remove the finish, so take a towel and hold it close and be careful!

Now take your sandpaper and a squeeze bottle of your mixed solution and pore a little of the solution onto the cracks and immediately start sanding, you’ll notice the coating smearing around and as the solution dissipates the coating will smooth down into the cracks and ball up and sand away. Do this until the coating is all but gone. Leaving a little in the cracks to lessen the need for filler. You’ll now be left with a raw spot on the seat and probably if the cracking isn’t to severe, no cracks at all. Otherwise the cracks will be smoother on the edges. I’ve found that in a lot of cases that just a light sanding with the solution is all it takes to rid the seat of cracks. But of course there are those really bad cracks, and those you need to be a little more delicate with due to there’s usually not much leather left. Just don’t sand to far with it and bust through. I’ve found folding the sandpaper into a roll and sanding the cracks helps to smooth them out even further and sometimes out all the way.

Once you’ve gone over your cracked areas with your solution and 120 grit, you might go back over the area with a 240 or even 400 grit sandpaper to smooth it out even more, making a nice area to start your repairs and coating of the leather.

Once you’ve sanded your cracks down and before you even do any repairs to the leather how bout conditioning the leather and making it nice and soft again?

The solution we used has dried the leather even more then it was before and really we’ve kinda untanned it as well. So by adding a fatliquor to the leather we replenish what we have lost and gain the nice supple feel back into the leather again and yes conditioning the leather prior to repairs can make a world of difference to your finished product.

Something I was never taught and I’m sure not many of you have heard of this either. What I’m talking about here is adding a fatliquor to the leather before you coat the leather or even do repairs.

Fatliquor is a softening solution added to the hides after the tanning process to make the hide more supple, soft and flexible. Since we’ve stripped some of these oils away we need to put them back.

All I do is pore a little on to the cracked area, rub it in with my finger or even a towel if I’m working in a larger area and let the leather just soak it up. I’ll usually go mix my colors or do another repair while that soaks in, it doesn’t take long depending on the humidity, but I can also speed up the drying time a bit with a hair dryer.

The fatliquor will not compromise any of your coatings as long as it is dry to the touch.

I was taught this by Pamela Delegomez with Leather Solutions. She’s an IICRC Leather Trainer and although I haven’t had the honor of meeting and training with her yet I did get a chance to talk with her over the phone about this and she recommended I do this with all leather repairs. It will not only soften the leather but also help with the repair process by adding moisture back into the hide hence giving you a better ending product.

Once you’ve fatliquored the seat your now ready to seal the area off and proceed with your leather fillers if need be. A lot of times after the sanding process with the Acetone and Denatured Alcohol solution I won’t need to fill at all, this solution will basically melt many of the smaller cracks away and all that is needed is a coating of color and I’m done. It really has saved me time and made my repairs look a lot better and last longer.

Always keeping in mind cleaning the area from any sanding debris  before proceeding with sealing, filling, and coating, will assure the best of adhesion with any job.

Remember me saying earlier that I’ve eliminated my prepping solution in my leather repair process. Well I’ve done this for a couple of reasons, one the pH was just to high and I think was messing with my coatings and I found the process I use now is just yielding me a better result.

I’m using a pH balanced cleaner now to clean the leather first which I highly recommend you check this stuff out. I get it from the Chemical Guys, its their Extreme Leather Cleaner and it does clean extremely well which I was impressed with and does not harm the leather nor hamper with any of my leather repair process.

So by using this cleaner I’ve eliminated my pH problem, which now I don’t have to neutralize before repairs, and helping the customer down the road by not using a harsh cleaner on their leather. I still do recommend you neutralize after using any high pH cleaner though.

One aspect of my prepping solution was opening the pores to the leather so the coatings would bite better, well I’ve gone to the Acetone and Denatured Alcohol to do that now with amazing results. The Acetone opens the pores like in my solution, but quicker and better, and the Denatured Alcohol melts the surface a bit giving me a better adhesion for my coatings as well as the Acetone, both tack the surface up very nicely. You can also use, which I also recommend, is Viper Products Leather Prep, works a lot the same.

I do this right before I spray and wipe my coatings in. Then proceed as I normally do finishing the seat off with my color and a nice topcoat of clear to give that nice finish feel.

Just like anything in this business, less is always better, this goes for the Acetone and Denatured Alcohol mixture as well as the fatliquor. Adding too much of either can cause damage to the underneath glues, seat heaters, foams, as well as the leather. So don’t go hog wild with your Leather Crack Repair and fatliquoring and end up damaging what your trying to repair.  Use very little fatliquor to moisturize because remember there already is fatliquor in the leather, actually water will soften better, but again watch how much due to mold and your repairs. It’s all a balancing act when it comes to Leather Repair for sure and with all the factors taken into aspect its hard sometimes to find that fine line of perfection.

Good luck with all your Leather Repairs guys and feel free to comment or email me with any questions you may have. I’ve temporarily deactivated my forum due to an incredible amount of spam. So its emails and comments for now. Thanks everyone for all your support…

My next adventure is the Mobile Tech Expo in Tampa, Fl. in January so hope to see y’all there!!!

Just got back from a 2 day Auto Interior Training seminar I held for Viper Products in the big city of Dallas, Texas and I have to say what a success it was. This was the first of its kind for me though. I’ve never had more then one person to train at one time, but it worked out very well I must say.

Randy Singh from Viper joined me on this little adventure of mine. He of course had everything all set up for me so all I had to concentrate on was the training.

We went down to get a ” Getready” Detail company with over 500 employee’s and over a hundred stores to service throughout the DFW area and the Houston area as well. We had 4 guys to train which were basically their top guys, 2 from Dallas 2 from Houston.

We flew in Thursday afternoon and met up with the guys for a little dinner and greet n meet then back to the hotel for some rest. Friday we kicked off the training, first things first was going over their kit that they had gotten prior from Viper Products.

This is always a crucial part of my training to show each person what each product is, what its used for, and how to use it. Your only as good as your product and knowledge of your supplies is crucial.

Next we moved onto color matching, which is the hardest and one of the most important things in Auto Interior Repair. You can have the best product, make the best looking repair in the world, but if your color is not right then you might as well have not have done the repair at all.

The kit that they had purchased was the pigment scale method, which if you all know me you know I only mix by eye so this was a learning experience for me too. Now I had experience with a scale system from my exterior touch-up days so picking it up for me wasn’t a problem. Its a good system for someone who has never mixed colors before but there is still a need for an eye for color. This pigment system is designed to get you close but not necessarily an exact match, you still have to tweak your color. This is something that takes a bit to get but once you get it, its second nature.

Once we worked on the colors for a bit we moved into doing some repairs and showing these guys what can and can’t be done with the supplies they had.  After a few repairs they jumped right in a were doing repairs like mad, which really I hadn’t planned on that till Saturday but what the heck the only way to learn is to do it. So off we went and lots of things were learned for sure, some mistakes but mostly success. These guys picked it right up and just soaked up the information. Its really nice to work with eager to learn people, makes my job easier for sure.

Saturday was our last day of learning and we started the day off by refreshing what we had done the day prior and then off to work we went. Repair, repair, repair! This was a good day for some good repairs. We went over the Velour kit first which didnt take a lot of time and did a few burn hole repairs and also did a blind stitch repair. Not to many blind stitching repairs are done these days with the nylon interiors, mostly seams and such, but it was good to show them how being able to hand sew is a definite benefit in the Auto Interior business.

After the Velour part of the training we packed up and went to one of the dealers they serviced and found a cracked leather repair on an Escalade which was great teaching tool for these guys. I was not only able to show off my skills with the repair of the seats, but was able show them a few other repairs that could be done that they will run into in the future.

We finished the day off with some dinner and great entertainment to wind down and finish the training. Relaxing and getting comfortable with each other is the best training of all, that way a long time relationship is built with the client and you.

I’m so glad I was able to do this type of training for these guys, its something I’ve wanted to do for a long time and I finally got the opportunity and I’m definitely looking forward to many more like this to come.

The Aztec Hot Rod Hot Water Extractor is the newest addition to The Interior Guy. After quite the research and contemplation I decided to bite the bullet and purchase this little jewel. I’m needing to get some of my customers seats and carpets cleaner then what they are to sell. I also think its a great partner to dyeing carpet the right way. There’s endless possibilities to the uses of a hot water extractor like this one.

My decision on going with this Aztec Hot Rod Extractor was based on size, mobility, suction, and heat.

The reason for size was amount of room I have available in my van, which is very limited. I’m running a Dodge Caravan with just enough room for me and everything else I carry. So a small unit was really my only option.

Mobility of course goes with the biz, you don’t want a big bulky machine when doing mobile interior repairs and detailing. No since breaking your back more then what we already are. It only weighs 18 lbs, so carrying it around from vehicle to vehicle should be a breeze. It does come with casters that you have to install but right now I’m not using them, no real reason other then rolling around in the van. It’s light enough I shouldn’t have to much of a problem, but I do have the option of installing them if needed in the future.

The suction or lift was pretty important too, a lot of the stains or just dirt I run across in vehicles need quite a bit of suction to get them out. This unit carries a whopping 102″ of lift, more then any small unit I researched.

Now heat was probably the most important second to size. The grease and grime that gets tracked into a vehicle is what the dirt sticks to, which no matter how much you vacuum won’t come out. Hot water helps to remove this grease and grime which in turn removes the stains. The Aztec Hot Rod Extractor reaches a temperature of 200 degrees in a matter of about 10 – 15 minutes depending on the temp of water you add.

One thing about this extractor is that it is a hot water ONLY extractor. You don’t add your cleaning chemicals to the fill tank (you’ll void the warranty if you do, so no chemicals! ). Instead you spray your cleaning solution onto the areas your cleaning then using the extractor you remove the chemicals with a blast of hot water. I was a little disappointed in this but really this gives you more control of where you want or need chemical if you think about it. Believe it or not the hot water itself will clean too, a chemical isn’t always needed for cleaning. Also what about rinsing, one of the most important parts of cleaning. If the residues of the cleaning products are left behind they will cause the fibers of carpet and materials to become sticky which will actually attract even more dirt and can also damage the fibers altogether. So basically your cleaning with your chemicals and a little scrubbing and elbow grease then blasting your stains away with 200 degree hot water.

I have only used the Hot Rod a few times now and have to say my research and contemplation has really payed off. I am really pleased with results of this little machine. Here’s the features and specs that helped sway my decision…

• 200°F Heated solution tank
• (110°F water heats to 200°F in 8 minutes)
• Ready to use when dwell time on pre-spray is completed
• 1.5 Gallon solution tank capacity
• 2.5 Gallon recovery tank capacity
• Piston pump delivers 60psi
• 1600 Watt heating element
• Lights indicate when heating and when temp. is reached
• Power requirement less than 15 AMPs
• 50 ft Single flow cord
• 16ft 1 1/4″ ID flexible vacuum hose
• 16ft 3/16″ ID spray hose
• Weight of Spotter without solution is 18lbs.
• Maneuvers easily on 2″ casters
• Easily accessible to fill, empty and clean
• Dimensions of Spotter: 17″ high, 18″ long, 13″ wide
• 3″ stainless steal upholstery detail tool
• 3 year limited warranty

Pretty sweet huh? I thought so too!  This really is a professional extractor and not just some cheap wanna be. I was also told by the Aztec rep that any standard head attachment will fit the Hot Rod Extractor. This makes it nice for adding a crevice tool or any other attachment that fits any other extractor. In fact my last trainee purchased a head that is specifically for upholstery for his extractor. The water jet is set up differently so not to leave the upholstery as wet. Great idea just a little pricey for me right now though, lets get this paying for itself first.

If your looking to add a nice professional extractor to your mobile interior repair and detailing business then I would definitely recommend you take a good look at the Aztec Hot Rod Extractor.

Automotive Interior Repair is an on going learning experience and I have to say that is what makes this business such an incredibly rewarding business. I just got done with another training session and would like to welcome Mark Nussbaumer with Top Grain Leather out of North Carolina to the business. I have to say this training session went really well, in fact I learned a few things from him too. He really did his research beforehand and had also attended the IICRC certification program right before coming to meet with me, which was a huge advantage, not only for him but also for me too. He opened my eyes a bit to the repair of leather and helped me to look into a few new ideas in making our repairs last even longer and the leather itself last longer too. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been a roller coaster of a time here in the Automotive Interior Repair business here in Missouri. The weather here as been ruthless! One day it’s snowing, the next it’s warm enough to actually get some stuff done, then right back to the freezer we go. Business is really good though, it’s been hard keeping up with the weather but at least the work is there and I have that to definitely thankful for.

Well today I wanted to give you guys a little tip on getting a grain pattern into you next leather or vinyl repair using the “Wet Grain Method“. This little trick can be used with just about any air dry or heat cured compound on leather or vinyl and really could probably be used on plastic but never really tried it yet.

This process has saved me a couple of times and has enhanced some of my repairs and made them basically disappear. It’s kinda a last resort to getting it right. Read the rest of this entry »

I got an email here a while back from a gentleman by the name of Cesar Alexander Chavez Flores in Mexico a local upholstery professional asking some advice on leather restoration,what leather dyes to use and how to apply them ect. We passed emails back and forth for while on different stuff . Well a few months went by and I then got an email from another gentleman from the same area asking for advice an my training program and had found my site from a link from YouTube on some videos that Cesar had made. I guess my point here is I had no idea he had videos, and he had a link coming back here (by the way Thank You Cesar)! And I’m here to tell you, some really nice ones too. Read the rest of this entry »

Making a repair on Vinyl or Leather hold and last for years is an ongoing quest for all of us automotive interior professionals. Lately I’ve been playing around a bit more with my iron in my repairs and have found it really has saved me on some of my repairs. It’s a tool that to be honest with you I haven’t used much but I guess had forgotten what I was missing.

Getting a vinyl or leather repair level and smooth can be tricky with the different foams and backing materials. By using an iron can better your chance of getting that repair level and smooth without bulging or pushing in the vinyl which can happen with doing your repairs with a heat gun and pressing your grain pad with your hand to achieve your grain. Read the rest of this entry »

I got an email here a while back from a fellow automotive interior professional wanting to know if he could “wipe on” the water based leather dyes we use to restore the worn automotive leather seats. I of course responded with a big “yes”. This is one of the many little tricks of trade that will get you just one step closer to perfection in doing an automotive leather restoration job.

Believe it or not I myself just really caught on to this just here recently. I have always wiped areas with my hand but not the way I’m about to tell you.

The “Wipe and Spray technique” is a technique that has improved my final result in my leather repairs immensely and will yours too, I promise.

All I do is in addition to my paint gun is to add a moist paper towel to the process of dyeing the seat. Now what I do with this paper towel will save you some time and money. Read the rest of this entry »

I wrote a post a while back about how to repair a worn leather steering wheel and have gotten a lot of traffic to it but to be honest with you it’s what I call a quick fix, not a good permanent fix like what a person really needs in this business. So today I’m gonna write it a little different and give the right way to repair a worn leather steering wheel.

All the leather in today’s vehicles are being dyed with a water based dye. It’s not only safer for the environment, which we all know is really big right now, but it’s also more flexible and better for the leather itself.

My last post I wrote I gave you a quick fix using a solvent based dye. Now I’m not saying that if you were in a pinch that using a solvent based would be a bad thing, but like I said it’s a quick fix, nothing you would really want to do for a customer that’s expecting a long lasting repair.

The basic’s are the same as far as the use of a drop cloth to avoid over spray getting on the instrument panel, and the prepping is kinda the same too. But what I’m here to do is to show the right way to do this.

So with that said here we go. Read the rest of this entry »

I have one thing to say…HOT! It has been scorching hot the past few days and I want to apologize for not keeping up with the progress on the Automotive Interior Restoration Training, but when I’ve gotten home at night I have just been to pooped to write.

Things have been going really good though and I have to say I am really confident that Bob will do just fine when he returns to South Dakota. He has really improved on every aspect in this business over the past 2 weeks, but I also have to say one thing and this really isn’t a brag, but it has been how he has been trained and the products we use. When I started I didn’t have half of what he has gotten or the products that we have in today’s market. I had to basically learn most of what I know today by trial and error, reading on the internet, asking a ton of questions of my suppliers, and the products I had were well let’s say not anywhere near what I use today. Read the rest of this entry »

What a scorcher it has been in the Automotive Interior Restoration Training! We basically melted today and it looks like it’s not going anywhere soon. Bob has been doing awesome if I say so myself!

Today he really got his feet wet and did his first vinyl repair and did great. He’s still a little green but that’s expected, he’s never done this before. This week we’re really going to work on his techniques and really get in there and do the work, and I do mean do it too. I’m basically just there for support this week because he’s the one who’s going to be doing the repairs. Read the rest of this entry »

Well I missed out yesterday writing about the Automotive Interior Restoration Training because to be honest I was just wiped out. We’ve been getting some really HOT and Humid days here, which is kinda unusual for this time of year here. Usually weather like this doesn’t hit here until July or August.

But with that said, we have had a really good time, my trainee Bob is really catching on like a natural. Like I’ve said before he’s not afraid to ask questions which is great and has even given me some great ideas in some of my repairs. It’s actually been nice having someone there to talk with and swap ideas considering I’ve always been by myself. Read the rest of this entry »

Today was a definitely a weird weather day in the Automotive Interior Repair Training Day 2. We started the day off with some pretty severe storms and didn’t really get to our first job until around 10am. As we were walking the lot we just about froze our butts off, pretty chilly I tell ya. But by noon the sun came out and the heat came in, thank goodness. Read the rest of this entry »

The first day of Automotive Interior Training began today for me and the first day of a New Career for my trainee, and what a wonderful day it was. I was a little nervous being that this was my first trainee but I got over that pretty quick when we got to our first job. Bob my trainee took to it like a natural. He’s a very personable guy and one that is very eager to learn. He wasn’t afraid to ask questions and understood everything I told him, it was really nice to have someone on the same page as me. I think that was what made me the most nervous was I was afraid he wouldn’t understand my way of thinking, but he did, and that was awesome. Read the rest of this entry »

Mixing your colors to match the automotive interior your working on has got to be the most crucial part to any repair. We are challenged everyday as a professional with not only having to repair a tear or a worn out seat or door panel but the color has to be spot on or we might as well have left it alone.

Lately I’ve been getting calls and emails from people wanting to know how to mix a color, what colors do what, and what colors they need to have with them.

As far as color matching, I match all my dyes by eye, meaning I use no formula, no mixing chart, just knowledge of colors and what they can do. So if your looking for a formula for how I mix my colors your looking in the wrong place.

What I’m going to do is give you the basics of colors and what colors will do when Read the rest of this entry »