Repair 7

Traffic accidents, floods, tinkering and dismantling are all ways that your car, a once-drivable on-road machine, could become a salvage vehicle according to Ohio standards. Auto insurance companies will appraise its value and determine whether to call the car a salvage or to put it back on the road. Once your vehicle is declared a salvaged vehicle, you must obtain a salvage title for it within 30 days. If you choose to repair it, you will need to reinstate the title before driving it on the road.

Instructions

Obtaining a Salvage Title

1

Locate the clerk of courts title office for your county and make an appointment.

2

Present your vehicles original title and the salvage certificate or document from the insurance company that states that the vehicle is a salvage vehicle.

3

Exchange the original title for the salvage title. A salvage title makes your car illegal to drive on any highway.

Rebuilt Salvage Title

4

Find the deputy registrars office for your county and ask for an inspection form for your salvaged vehicle.

5

Pay the titling fee and save the receipt, which you will have to show to the inspection facility.

6

Find a nearby inspection facility (see Resources) and make an appointment to have your vehicle inspected.

7

Present the receipts for all major components of the car that you have replaced. Bring the Ohio salvage title and the receipt and inspection form from the deputy registrars office.

8

Take the completed inspection form and Ohio salvage title to the clerk of courts title office in your county. Exchange the salvage title for an Ohio rebuilt salvage title, which makes the vehicle legal to drive on highways again.

Officially, only a certified smog inspection station can tell you if your vehicle is smog compliant in California. When you bring an out-of-state vehicle into California, a certified technician can let you know what repairs or adjustments must be done for your vehicle to meet the requirements. If you plan to register your car in California, it must meet the minimum smog-control requirements or fall under one of the categories for exemption. Owners of vehicles that are 6 or less model years old pay a smog abatement fee in lieu of getting their vehicles tested.

Instructions

1

Visit the California Bureau of Automotive Repair website at bar.ca.gov. Click on "Find a Station" in the left margin. Click on "Current Active Smog Stations." Enter your ZIP code to find stations near you. Check that the station you select is in the same county in which you plan to register your vehicle; different counties may have different regulations.

2

Contact the smog inspection station directly to confirm it is state certified and to make an appointment. These organizations are private and not regulated by the government, so contact several stations to find the best price.

3

Bring your vehicle to the station and say it needs a smog inspection to be sure it complies with California requirements. The test should take no longer than an hour. The technician will provide you with a certificate, or inform you if the car needs repairs or adjustments to meet the minimum certification requirements. If your car needs repairs, the same station can generally do them. Register your car within 90 days; the certificate is invalid after that time.

The control module of a vehicle is basically the computer that does the thinking for an engines control system. It affects the functioning of things ranging from a vehicles charging system to its transmission. This is why when the control module goes bad, the engine suffers functionality issues as well.

Voltage Overload

One of the main things that can cause a control module on a vehicle to go bad is voltage overload. This can occur when a short exists in the circuits of either a solenoid or actuator. Replacing the control module will do no good if these shorts are not dealt with as the replacement control module will experience voltage overload as well.

Water

Another thing that can cause a vehicles control module to go bad is water. Circuits get shorted out and the control modules electrical connections are harmed from the corrosion that builds if water manages to reach the inside of the control module. This is why repairs are usually not even attempted on control modules that come out of flooded vehicles.

Vibration and Stress

Vibration as well as thermal stress has also been known to cause control modules to go bad. This is because they can cause tiny cracks to form in the control modules circuit boards. However, unlike water damage, this type of damage to a control module is repairable.

Vehicle headlights are not only a safety feature that improves vision in the dark and rain and allows other vehicles to see you at night, they are also required by law. You must replace headlights as soon as they begin to dim and immediately if they burn out completely. Since vehicle headlights come in a wide variety of sizes and styles, you must examine the vehicle to determine which one will fit.

Instructions

1

Open the hood of the vehicle and lean inside to look at the back of one of the headlights. Locate the wire that attaches to the back of the light, which is the power supply. Pull the wire straight out from the back of the light. In some cases, the wire will have a small tab that you squeeze before removing it.

2

Grasp the rubber cover on the back of the light, called the dust cover, and pull it straight out from the light to remove it.

3

Locate the metal clip that covers the back of the headlight and holds it in place. Press down on the top of the clip to lower it away from the light.

4

Grasp the bottom of the bulb, which will be clearly visible in the center of the headlight and pull it out away from the light.

5

Look at the metal base of the light bulb for printed words, which will identify the bulb type and wattage. The most common types of headlight bulbs are sizes H1, H4 or H7.

Even if you take good care of your car and avoid getting too close to other cars on the roadway, you may still end up with stone chips on the front of your vehicle. These chips happen when car tires throw stones in the road up into the air and into the front of your vehicle. While they may not be noticeable from a distance, you can see them close up. Plus, the chips can leave your car vulnerable to rust.

Instructions

1

Wash your car before you attempt to repair any stone chips. The touch-up paint cannot adhere properly to a dirty surface.

2

Drip a small amount of the touch-up paint into the stone chip if it is very small. If the chip is on the front of your hood, open the hood so the area is horizontal to the ground to avoid running. For chips on your bumper, you may need to use a paint brush to apply thinner layers. Repeat the process until the chip is completely filled with paint.

3

Remove any rust present in a larger chip using a cotton swab dipped in a rust-dissolving product available at an auto parts stores. Rinse out the area with alcohol to remove the product residue.

4

Apply primer to any larger chips that expose the metal. This will help the paint adhere to the metal and seal out any potential rust.

5

Layer on the touch-up paint with the paint brush, allowing each layer to dry completely before making another layer. Continue making layers until the chip is even with the original paint job.

6

Apply a layer of clear coat over the top of the last layer of paint to allow the area to blend in with the rest of your vehicles paint finish.

7

Use the rubbing compound to blend the stone chip area into the rest of the vehicle so it will no longer be noticeable.