Gearhead Grinds ☕

The car enthusiast's newsletter

Good morning everyone,

Welcome back to the newsletter that chooses real advice over "disrupting the industry".

(Yeah, I had to make that one myself.)

Here's what's going on this week:

➡️ Having fewer headrests is going to save Nissan

➡️ It turns out, electronic door handles are kind of a safety risk

➡️ The simplest way to fall back in love with your car

➡️ more, of course 💬

This week's video 🚗

My vid about detailing myths ended up getting a lot of views, and there were a few comments claiming I was wrong about being able to wash a car in direct sunlight.

So I took the darkest vehicle I own and made a video showing exactly how I wash it in the sun without any water spots or other issues.

The purpose of the vid wasn't to silence the haters though - it was to show you a strategy that can produce great results if you have no choice but to wash your car in the sun.

Check it out!

Youtube

The simplest way to fall back in love with your car 🏁

Do you find yourself getting bored with your car or feeling like it's getting kind of worn out?

Maybe you're even considering selling it.

Well, I've noticed that every time I feel that way about a vehicle, there's one thing that always makes me fall back in love with it.

I wash it.

Now, I know that seems offensively obvious, but I don't just mean running it through a car wash.

I'm talking about a pretty thorough detail.

Over time, cars get "dull" as we use them.

The tires get brown and faded. The paint accumulates a bunch of dirt and grime, causing it to look grey.

And let's be honest, the interior is gross.

So before you start taking pics for your marketplace listing, give it some TLC.

Every time I do this, I'm pleasantly surprised with how great my car looks again - it was just hiding under a layer of crud.

So, schedule a couple of hours this weekend to get out and clean up your car. Don't cut corners either... hit the wheel wells, door jams, engine bay, etc.

I shared a pretty detailed process in this video - you might find it motivating.

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 📰

Having fewer headrests is going to save Nissan

At least, that's what the guy who's in charge of finding $1.7 billion in cost cuts thinks. He believes that reducing the variety of headrest options across the line will save them a bunch of money.

What it's like to drive a Unimog

Chalk this up as one of the most unique vehicles Tedward has driven on his channel. Looks like fun!

It turns out, electronic door handles are kind of a safety risk

Never would have guessed this one lol. Apparently, studies have shown that modern flush-mounted door handles have been responsible for people not being able to get out of their cars after a crash.

And manual emergency releases aren't much help if passengers don't know where they are.

TJ Hunt ticks everyone off with a video title

The comment section of this video went off because he packaged it as if he was going to share why he sold his controversial Mustang GTD knockoff.

Instead, it was a vid about drifting with a 5-second clip that basically said "oh, by the way, I sold the Mustang".

Side note: Am I the only one who finds drifting incredibly boring? Ever since my buddy referred to it as "automotive figure skating" I haven't been able to forget it, haha.

This dude is living the single car guy's dream (Garage house)

Leave it to the Japanese to figure out how to make the most of a small space. This setup is pretty cool!

Fun fact: I was considering getting a similar work/live space at one point... then I got married and had a kid, sooooo here we are haha.

Talk soon,

Tim Rempel

Founder of Canadian Gearhead

Let's connect 👇