Just a thought,a thread on useful tips on our cars.Any subject,but sensible.
You know, the little ideas/info etc. that can be passed on to make something easier for somone else.
If I had known about my tip then I would'nt have to re paint all the little bits of interior of my car again
My tip is,when you have painted any parts of your car,and have spent alot of time preping and rubbing them down,and painting and rubbing down again to acheive a mirror finish,and because you are not going to re fit them for a while,and because you dont want them to get damaged or chipped, DO NOT wrap them in bubble wrap.Even though I thought the paint was well dry,last night I un packed them and they all had serious marks off the bubbles.Now I have to rub them all down and re paint again.
So,tip is,never wrap newly painted parts in bubble wrap,EVER.

Same thing happened to me.

1) I removed all my exhaust clamps, wire brushed them and replaced manky ones where necessary, using plenty of fire paste sealant stuff.

Result? Quieter, smoother, less rattley running. Always a plus!

2) as any object of a mans desire should: wax regularly. Particularly when they get everyday use through rain and shine. Everyday cars need to be in much better condition than garage queens. I swear mine drives better when shes shiney, and of course the wax really protects any chips or spots that I haven't had time to touch up.

If it ain't broke don't try and fix it. That's what I'm learning anyway

Don't use fire paste on exhausts, use copperslip.

Never wipe your arse with a broken bottle.

Isn't fire paste just going to cause future problems?

Yes, that's why Russ says to use coppaslip instead.

Buy a piece of Celotex (or Kingspan, or Xtratherm, it's all the same stuff) from a builders' merchant, then cut it into shape to make efficient door and boot lid insulation for your duck. Make sure you get the right thickness though: too thick and you won't be able to fit your door cards back in place, and people will call you a prat.

It pays to shop around for people to fit your tyres. Some tyre fitters will try to rip you off blind, while others will be extremely reasonable. (My best price so far: £15 all-in to fit 2 tyres. Worst quote: £35+VAT for the same job.)

Fire paste has not brought problems to my life. I might try coppaslip in the future, but I imagine it will only work well on fittings with very small gaps. Fire paste will handle bigger gaps, surely?!

And this is an example of that differences of opinion is a good thing, as more facts come to the surface and people can choose them selves, with more options to choose from

And I might add, that I don't find that fire paste causes problems in my life. It's just that you have to clean the joints before assembling again in the future. And I don't regard that cleaning job as a problem in my life.(I use Bosal firepaste) My life has really been filled with problems in the last few years, but cleaning firepaste isn't regarded as one of them

My tip: Check the brushes and the "rings on the anchor" (don't remember what they are called in English) before a long trip, or even better, on every big service. It's an EASY AND QUICK job, and road-help-statistics shows that charging problems are often represented.

Kwikfit did all 4 tyres on new wheels and disposed of the old ones for a tenner in the staff tea pot

I *think* Kwikfit have a policy of not to charge for parts so if you provide your own it's just labour.