Gearhead Grinds ☕

The car enthusiast's newsletter

Good morning everyone,

When an automaker gives you a free air freshener to make your EV seem cool:

Here's what's going on this week:

➡️ More proof that capitalism is alive and well, thanks to Obsessed Garage

➡️ Are Apple CarPlay and Android Auto about to go extinct?

➡️ My strategy to improve your car every time you wash it (Copy me)

➡️ more, of course 💬

This week's video 🚗

This week's video is a short but helpful one. Perhaps the most slept on way to make your car look glossy is to do a "paint" correction on your taillights.

Basically, compound and polish them to get rid of any oxidized plastic and swirl marks, and it'll help your car look amazing.

Check it out to learn more!

Youtube

My strategy to improve your car every time you wash it 🏁

Let's be honest: most of us would love to do an epic transformation detail on our cars that spans multiple weeks.

But despite how often we see that on YouTube, it's just not realistic for the average car enthusiast.

We have jobs, families, other hobbies - and those things keep us from being able to restore our cars all in one shot.

The problem is, as time passes, our cars get progressively more worn out and old-looking.

It's totally normal for a daily driver… but here’s the thing:

You can slow down that aging process and even make your car look better every time you wash it.

I call it The 1st Down Method.

Just like in football, you don't have to score a touchdown every play. You just need to get a 1st down so you can continue towards the end zone.

How do you do this?

Every time you wash your car, pick one area to improve.

Maybe it’s polishing the scratches out of your gauge cluster lens this week.

Next time, clean behind your fuel door or restore your headlights.

Each small 1st down adds up, and over time, your car starts to look better after each wash instead of aging further.

You don’t need an entire weekend or a fancy shop. Just a few extra minutes and a little extra elbow grease each time.

And if you keep stacking 1st downs, eventually… you’ll score a touchdown (and your car will look amazing).

I put together a list of ideas for things you can clean or polish in this blog post, so go check it out!

The Gearhead Tracker: An all-in-one logbook for your vehicle maintenance

Organize your vehicle maintenance, calculate fuel economy, and create a detailed list of modifications with this Notion template!

This all-in-one digital logbook stores all of your automotive information from insurance to accident history, plus so much more!

Check it out:

Up to speed in the auto industry 📰

The story of a Callaway twin-turbo C4 Corvette

Sure, this is a cool car, but the owner's attitude towards it is what really stands out. As usual, great filming and storytelling from Petrolicious.

Are Apple CarPlay and Android Auto about to go extinct?

According to the CEO of General Motors, they will (at least in their lineup). GM wants to move forward with its own Google Gemini-powered assistant as a replacement for phone projection.

Smart move or corporate stupidity?

I dunno. On one hand, this will likely turn into another monthly subscription (bad). But Android Auto is unreliable and overall crappy (also bad).

More proof that capitalism is alive and well, thanks to Obsessed Garage

Don't get me wrong, I like Matt. And the concept of shaving off the nibs on the sides of your tires might be polarizing, but I understand people preferring a clean look.

But charging people $90 for "specialized" tools to do the same job as a pair of fingernail clippers is where I draw the line.

Outrageous.

Kia adds excitement to EVs (with oil and gas scented air fresheners)

For anyone who misses the smell of gas and motor oil after purchasing an electric vehicle, Kia has you covered. Sure, that'll fix everything.

Some of the most aggressive sounding Vtec I've heard in a while

Ride along in an EG Civic as it rips around Tokyo at night. This thing sounds pretty cool, and I like the laid-back vibe in this one.

The whole idea of sharing the experience of owning a car or living in a location seems to really be taking off on YouTube right now... and in most cases, I enjoy it!

Talk soon,

Tim Rempel

Founder of Canadian Gearhead

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