In this world, there are two kinds of people… Those who take pride in their automobile, and those who simply see it as a garbage tube to get them from A to B. Well, it may not be that drastic, but there is a definite split in how owners take car of their automobiles.

While probably not something that you have thought about much, the International Carwash Association (yes, they have an association for everything these days) did a survey on consumers and their diligence to upkeep the appearance of their car.

Here are a few of the statistics they found:

• It would appear in general that one in four people believe that a dirty, garbage filled car, reflects on a dirty, garbage filled person (this is not us saying this mind you!).
• Roughly 62% (over half) of people believed that keeping up their cars appearance was essential to either their lifestyle, job, or social expectations.
• Interestingly, On the other end of the spectrum, 61% admitted that they use their car as a dumpster bin at times, dropping trash in the front and back seat (10% of the above, must be working under the “do as I say, not as I do” theme).
• Really digging in the trenches, 27% of those surveyed said that either at the present moment or in the recent past, their car has smelled pretty bad due to the accumulation of leftover burgers, fries, and other food related garbage in their vehicles.
• 52% of folks said that they don’t even wash their vehicle once a month. These folks preferred to wait until it was absolutely necessary. In fact, 16% said they NEVER wash their car (that’s what the rain is for).
• Ultimately however, 84% of those surveyed said that they feel an emotional attachment to their car. (That’s sweet, now why don’t all these people care for their aluminum and plastic loved ones?)

There you have it. So no matter which end of the spectrum you reside, you can be assured that you are definitely not alone!

As one stares upon the many pipes, clamps, mufflers, instructions, and tool requirements for one of these supposed easy installations, at some point, one has to really ask themselves if this is really something the can and want to do.

Performance exhaust systems are really popular right now. They offer more horsepower, torque, better gas mileage, and they sound and look pretty darn cool too.

The problem with some of them, is that even though they claim they are easy to install and anyone can do it with basic hand tools… you really must decide if you are in fact part of this definition of “anyone”, and if you actually own some of these “basic tools”.

Let’s face it, if you buy a $300 to $800 exhaust kit and then have to turn around and buy $400 worth of tools… you could have practically had an exhaust formed out of molten steel for less than that!

Let’s first take a look at the short list of tools you may need to do this job right.

1. 1. (2) Floor Jacks ($30 and up), or one floor jack and your OEM jack (There are two on this list because both floor jacks and jack stands fail, so to protect yourself we recommend having two lift system at each lift-point of the car)
   2. (2) Jack Stands ($25 and up)
   3. Torque Socket Wrench ($25 and up)
   4. Full set of Metric and Standard Sockets ($50 and up)
   5. Pipe cutter ($30 and up), reciprocating saw ($60 and up), etc. (You could use a hacksaw, but at no less than an hour per pipe to cut all the way through, I’d highly not recommend it)
   6. Penetrating Oil, WD-40, etc. (to loosen those stubborn OEM pipes)
   7. Dremel ($60 and up) Sideways Cutter (to get off those tight OEM brackets)
   8. Mechanics Gloves (unless you like to bleed!)
   9. Mechanic’s Book (Chilton, etc.) about your model and year car. (Your OEM manual will not be sufficient for this- There are countless of folks each year who are seriously injured by placing a jack or jack stand under a “weak point” of their car. You can also seriously damage your car… such as shooting the jack up through your floorboard. Cars today, while built well, definitely have a lot of thin metals and aluminum that are not suited to hold the weight of your car. It is better to be safe than sorry!)
   10. A Creeper (unless you like dragging your carcass all over your cold garage floor… and if you do this, count on ruining your outfit)

While the directions say it will take you 2 to 4 hours, this is from the viewpoint of a professional mechanic who has at their side a full line of professional equipment (hydraulic lift, pneumatic tools, etc). For the garage do-it-yourselfer, double this amount of time, if not triple.

Now, for the “anyone” can do it. This job is not for the faint of heart. It takes guts to jack up 3,000-plus pounds automobile and toil around underneath for several hours while it is teetering on a couple of $30 and up lift equipment.

So before you jump on that “do-it-yourself” catback exhaust deal, decide if you are really saving yourself all that much from just going to a muffler shop and having them custom fabricate you something for a couple hundred dollars, because you just might not be!

Items You’ll need:

• Several clean clothes

• wax application pad

• Quart of denatured alcohol

• Meguiars #2 Fine-Cut Cleaner (or equivalent)

• Meguiars #7 Show Car Glaze (or equivalent)

• Meguiars #26 High Tech Carnauba Wax (or equivalent)

• About 3 hours of a warm Spring afternoon

As spring sets upon our side of the earth, we find the birds are chirping, the butterflies are fluttering, the flowers are blooming, and the pollen and sap from the trees are falling… directly on our cars!

If you’ve ever run your hand over the top of your car, chances are it will have a slight sandpaper texture. This is all the pollen and sap particles from various trees that have found a nice little home on the paint of your vehicle.

You can wash, scrub, and wax all you want, but it is going to be next to impossible to get that showroom shine back without a miracle.

While there are sap removing products on the shelves today, there is really only one way to clean a car that has some serious sap damage according to a lot of car detailers… denatured alcohol.

Denatured alcohol can be found at just about any hardware store and while its use will also strip your car of all its waxes, it is just about the only way to clean off heavily baked on sap without wearing out your elbow in the process.

Even if you have quarter inch sized pine tree sap droplets that have been baking on your hood for 3 years, denatured alcohol will do the job. Just about anything that has found its way onto your paint can be removed with this powerful solvent.

The nice thing about it, is why it is a relatively strong solvent, it is actually not as harsh on your paint as you might think since alcohol evaporates quickly into the air.

Once this portion of the job is done, you are going to need to renew the shine on your finish and protect it so that the next batch of sap will not be able to get such a hold on your painted surface. This process begins by cleaning off the light film of contaminants leftover from the solvent cleaning with the Meguiars #2 Fine-Cut Cleaner.

This simple needs to be rubbed in until the fine grit breaks down into the paint and then wiped off. There is no need to let this dry before wiping off. You will only need to use this on the portions of the paint you had to use the denatured alcohol.

The next step will be to renew the oils in the paint that the solvent may have dried out. This is accomplished by Meguiars #7 Show Glaze. You may want to use this on the entire vehicle if the paint appears dull and hazy in anyway.

The best part of the Meguiars #7 is there really is no need for a buffer to get a nice shine. The rich oils work themselves into the paint with just a little elbow grease and really bring out a deep shine. Of course if you have a buffer handy, this could give you an even better shine, but it is not a necessary tool for this project.

Once all the paint is smooth and shiny you are going to want to but a fresh coat of wax on the surface to hold in the oils you just renewed the paint with as well as protect the surface. While a lot of high tech waxes and sealants have become quite popular over the past 15 years, there is nothing like the shine and protection of good old fashioned carnauba paste.

A tip to keep in mind when it comes to carnauba wax, is much of the time the paste will hold up longer than the liquid versions. It can be a bit more difficult to rub on and off, but when you count in its longevity and ultimate protection it will be worth it.

Most carnauba pastes will come with an applicator pad that will need to be dampened thoroughly before it can be used. Make sure that the vehicle is in a shaded spot for this part of the process and the paint is cool to the touch.

If you try to apply paste wax on a hot surface it will dry too quickly and you will not be able to get the wax into the pores of the paint. Rub the wax in thoroughly and allow to dry completely before using a clean and dry cloth to wipe it off.

This may sound like a lot of steps, but the key is to let the products do most of the work. You really don’t need to spend all that much time on each step. Three hours of hard work should have your cars paint ready for those summer Saturday nights at the drive-in.