Faith Heating & Air Conditioning

Faith Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. was established in April 1999 as a full service Heating & Air Conditioning sales and service company. Service is the key element of our company. We maintain fully equiped vans to provide on site service whenever and wherever it is required. Our company specializing in designing and installing complete systems for owners of existing homes and buildings just like you. We are dedicated to delivering you the best. We take our responsibility very seriouly when you place your trust in us. We pledge to always tell you upfront what your cost will be to complete your job correctly.

Faith Heating & Air skilled technicians have the required personnel, training, expertise, and instrumentation to provide the followingbuilding services:

• Air Distribution
• Sound & Vibration Testing
• Verification of Control System
• Duct Cleaning
• Routine Maintenance
• Fuel Piping
• HVAC System Installation
• HVAC System Inspection
• Seasonal Promotions

Portland Metro East
Ph: (503) 356-8686

Portland Metro West
Ph: (503) 645-9988

info@faithheating.com

Licensed

Bonded

Insured

CCB# 133911

That ol’ car has been good to you. It’s taken you all over the place and never complained. rain or shine. But, as with all things, there comes a season… After you’ve wiped the tears from your face and pulled yourself together, and fallen in love with your next car, make sure that trusty old steed will get you the highest possible price from its next owner.

According to Kelly Blue Book, a properly cleaned car will increase the resale price by $300 to $500, and the value of a mid-range vehicle can capture up to $2,000 if made ready for sale with a full cleaning and taking care of minor repairs (according to The Car Care Council). Here are tips to help your car’s resale value go up…

Put on the Shine

Invest in a professional wash and wax job. Doing it yourself may help some, but let the pros do the job. When washing it yourself, using household cleaners and even some store bought car cleaners will yield a result that’s less than ideal. Getting wax in and out of the nooks and crannies, and waxing in places non-pros often don’t consider will make a huge impact. If your paint’s faded, this won’t bring it back, but detailing technicians are trained to wax a vehicle to get it about as close as possible, so the buyer won’t notice just how faded your paint has become.

Clear Lights

If your headlights have become worn and dingy, your detailing pro can restore them to like new. There are some over the counter products that do a decent job, which would be acceptable for a car you’re keeping. But for resale, trust it to a professional detailer.

Nice Rims…

Cleaning wheels can be pretty time consuming and with all the road grunge wheel covers collect (and hide) you’ve got to really work at getting all of that residue cleaned away. Auto detailers know how to get into all of the dirt removed, both visible and hiding in the rims, as well as shining those sidewalls that make the wheel covers really pop.

The Human Stain

The interior of a vehicle is like a “well lived in” home or apartment. It carries the “human stain.” That is, when you clean your vehicle yourself, there’s likely a lot that you don’t see because it’s your vehicle. For the buyer, it’s like looking at a new home or apartment. They’ll see everything… and we mean everything. Every stain, nick, tear, whatever. Auto detailers are called “detailers” for a reason.

We see all the details – and we’ve got the professional tools and skills to get that “human stain” removed. Of course, when there are big tears or stains that have been left to set for years, there may be nothing we can do to totally repair or remove them. But for the most part, a professional detailer will be able to restore your interiors to a point where they’ll feel like new.

Scratches and Dings

Don’t be snookered by those miracle products you see on TV that claim they’ll remove a scratch. The only real solution is having a professional handle the removal of scratches. Anything else may lead to greater damage. And if the car has small dents and dings, get those repaired, as well. Remember, just as mentioned above, that buyer sees everything. Getting even small scratches repaired will pay for themselves.

Aside From Cosmetics

If you’re getting ready to sell, put a small binder together with the maintenance history of the car. Include receipts and repair records here. This will offer proof positive to the buyer that you’ve cared for the car well, so they can be confident that they’re getting a good deal. Also get a CarFax report and include that with the car – this will show the ownership history.

On the mechanical side, be sure to replace all burned out bulbs and have any other issues corrected by your mechanic.

Letting go of a good car isn’t easy. Be sure to make sure you give it a good home with a new owner that’ll be as thrilled with it as you’ve been. Then, when you pass the keys over, give it one last pat and watch it ride into the sunset… with a good bit more cash in your pocket that you would have gotten if you’d not prepared it for sale.

I miss you darling, more and more every day, As Heaven would miss the stars above. With every heartbeat, I still think of you, And remember our faded love. — Patsy Cline

When I see a vehicle come into the shop that’s suffering from faded paint, that heart rending lyric from Patsy Cline comes to mind. While all paint jobs will fade over time, your car has given you so much love, here’s how you can show it some love in return and slow down the effects of fading…

As mentioned above all vehicle paints fade gradually over time. This is due to exposure to the ultra-violet rays of the sun and chemicals that are in the atmosphere. You can reduce the effects considerably, however, and make your paintwork last much longer, by taking a few simple and easy measures to protect it.

Sunlight

Over time, UV rays will inevitably reduce the shine of your car’s paint, especially on the horizontal surfaces of your hood, roof, and trunk. The best protection against the heat and UV rays of the sun is the regular application of wax/sealant every 4-6 months. The rub here – no pun intended – is using a quality sealant and applying it the correct way. Wax on, wax off is only part of the process. At Fresh Start Detail our Detailing Technicians are formally trained in the correct application of wax and sealants to ensure that they’re properly applied for both maximum coverage and durability.

Chemicals in the Atmosphere

Pollutants in the air like nitric and sulfuric acid are hard to detect but if left on your paint they will slowly degrade your clear coat by gradually eating it away. The best defense against this is regular washing and again, the application of wax/sealant every 4-6 months. And, also like waxing, there IS a right and a wrong way to wash your car.

Prevention is the name of the game because many times, once you notice a problem with your paint, it is too late to repair. Preventive maintenance is ALWAYS cheaper than repairs, so don’t be the cause of faded love when it comes to your car. Stop in and let us help you keep the color shining bright!

Followed by getting out of debt and losing weight, quitting smoking is the third most popular New Year’s resolution in 2010.
Did you or a loved one make the resolution to quit smoking this year? You can help keep that resolution with our Interior Detail with Smoke Odor Removal Service. With a car that smells fresh and new, the temptation to sneak that cigarette on the way home from work will be so much lower.
An Interior Detail with Smoke Odor Removal is a great gift if you have someone you want to encourage to quit smoking. It’s also a great gift to yourself if you’ve decided to quit. Remember, you’ll be saving some money now that you’re not buying cigarettes.

Can you hear it?  Winter’s right around the corner and that rustling sound isn’t the last of the fall leaves.  It’s dollars flying out of your wallet as the winter takes its toll – with all its rain, mud, snow, ice, road de-icer, gravel and grime – on your car.
What should you do?  Let’s think ahead a few months…

Come spring time, when you get around to cleaning your car, here’s what you can do now to make that job much easier and cheaper:
1)    Give your car’s paint a fighting chance through the winter with a coat of wax to protect the finish.  A good wax is your paint’s best friend when it comes to repelling the nastys of winter.  Get your car thoroughly waxed now so you won’t have to pay a detailer extra to polish the oxidation or to remove other stubborn contaminants.
2)    During winter your car should be washed weekly, but at least every-other week to prevent the build-up of contaminants on the paint.  This is especially true for your wheels.  That gray brake dust sitting on your wheels is right now etching its way permanently into the coating. Investing the time and expense throughout the winter will save you even more than if you need to have a detailer clean the stains you just can’t get out.
3)    Visibility is very important during the dark, wet winter months.  Check your headlight lenses to make sure they’re still clear.  If the plastic is fading, hazy or turning yellow you should have them looked at by a professional detailer.  If needed, a detailer can restore the clarity of the lenses to maximize headlight output, and at a fraction of the cost of buying new lights.  You’ll be much safer during the dark days of winter.
4)    Continuing with visibility and saving money, now is the time to fix any rock chips in your windshield.  Drastic temperature changes cause seemingly dormant chips to split out into large cracks with no warning.  That chip may have sat there all summer and fall just minding its own business.  In fact, you probably don’t even notice it anymore.  But one of these cold winter mornings when you hit your defroster that chip will scream to life and make a sound, that’s right, the sound of money flying out of your wallet.

Keep your car looking its best during the winter months and your spring cleaning can be a breeze.

Windshield chip repair (WCR) is a process that injects a special clear adhesive resin into a small crack or break in a windshield. The damaged area’s strength is restored to prevent any cracks from spreading; in fact it’s guaranteed not to spread! The clarity is also improved at least 85%.

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Why repair a windshield?
Repairing (instead of replacing) a windshield is environmentally friendly. Thousands of damaged windshields are needlessly replaced every year, ending up in our landfills. Repairing a windshield will save it from the landfill!

• Repairs save money by preventing the need for a more costly replacement. Replacing a windshield on a modern car or SUV will cost hundreds of dollars, even more if it has an antenna, defroster or rain sensor built in to it.
• Repairs are very convenient taking less than an hour.
• Repairs are safer than replacement because the glass is never removed and the original factory seal is maintained.

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What kind of damage can be repaired?
Chips can be repaired up to about the size of a 50 cent piece. Best results are obtained when the damage is repaired right away, before it gets contaminated from moisture and rain and road grime. It’s also better to get it done before the damage spreads.

I tell customers that as part of our Standard Detail Service, we’ll polish their car then apply a coat of wax.  Inevitably the question follows, “What’s the difference between polishing and waxing?”

In the car and truck and boat detailing world, “polish” is synonomous with “buff” and they are both verbs.  They are something you do to the paint to make it shine.  “Wax” is something to put onto the paint to protect it from nature’s elements.  The confusion comes from product manufacturers who advertise on TV, saying “This new product XYZ is both a polish AND a wax, eliminating a step when detailing your car. Just put this polish on your paint and it will shine like new forever blah blah blah…” As usual, don’t believe the hype.

There is no one miracle polishing compound that does it all.  The paint should be polished first to make it shine, then a coat of wax should be applied to keep it shiny as long as possible.

Welcome to my first blog post.  I wrote this because I get asked a lot of questions about car leather seats, and there is a lot of misinformation out there that I would like to clear up.

You probably have a pigmented/protected/top coated/painted type leather because this is the most common leather type and is used in over 95% of automotive interiors. This leather has a uniform appearance and color with a definite pattern (grain). You cannot see any natural leather markings through the top coatings because a pigmented leather paint coat is applied to the surface. It is then sealed with a durable finish. If properly maintained, this finish will provide years of durability.

Identifying characteristics of pigmented/painted leather: uniform color and grain patterns; will not scratch easily; water dropped onto the surface will not change the color of the leather.

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Another kind of leather found in automotive interiors is aniline (Castano) leather found mostly on Ford King Ranch edition pickup seats. It is top quality natural leather in which the actual surface grain markings of the true leather (hide) are visible. This type of leather is not intended to remain pristine but rather rugged. These seats have no or very little protective treatments applied. They also require different cleaning procedures than protected leather due to its porous nature and are prone to sun fading.
Identifying characteristics: very easy to scratch, water dropped onto the surface will darken the color and then dry back to natural color.

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Yet another kind of leather found in automotive interiors is nubuck leather found on some Lexus and Dodge Durango seats. These are natural aniline leathers that have been brushed creating a nap and leaving a texture similar to suede. Nubuck has a natural finish, but may have a light protective coat and a transparent leather dye for color. This process increases the leather’s surface exposure making it extremely absorbent to body oils and soil, also making it difficult to clean effectively.
Identifying characteristics: usually gray in color, very soft to the touch, will scratch or scuff very easily, water dropped onto the surface will darken the color and then dry back to natural color.

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So now you know what kind of leather your car has, but you might be surprised to learn that the entire seat is not actually leather!  Most modern cars have leather seating surfaces while the rest of the seat is vinyl that is made to look like leather.  To the untrained eye it looks like the entire seat is leather, but in fact it is not.  Why do they do this?  Because vinyl is cheaper than leather of course.  “But I ordered leather seats when I bought my car!”, you may say.  To that I will say, “Read the fine print of the order sheet, it says ‘leather seating’ or something similar to that.” This is how the car manufacturers trick you into believing that the entire covering is leather.

So what?  So some of the surfaces are vinyl, does that matter?  Generally not except that the sides will wear out and crack well before the leather surfaces do.  At which time you take your car to an auto upholstery specialist and have them replace that cracked/torn vinyl panel with a real leather panel and you’re good to go.

What about leather conditioner?  This is where I really have to laugh at what’s going on in the public’s mind.  The use of leather conditioner on most automotive seats is vastly overrated.  I don’t mean it’s a waste of time, but it’s not as critical as many people believe and here’s why:  Remember that 95% of cars have the pigmented/protected/top coated/painted type of leather right?  That top coat seals out moisture and contaminents… so how well do you think that leather conditioner soaks past that protective copcoat and into the leather?  It doesn’t.  I hear all the arguements from car enthusiasts that it is critical for long lasting leather and to keep it from cracking.  I say this, keep your leather clean, (including in the seams where the stitching is) and keep it protected from UV rays (window tinting) and your leather will last a long time.  Going to the expense and trouble of applying leather conditioner on a regular basis isn’t a bad thing, in fact it shows that you’re willing to take care of your investment, just don’t lose any sleep over it.