If you’re still agonizing over Christmas presents for friends or family, here’s a fun fact: there are 22 million cars and trucks on Canadian roads so chances are you know someone who owns one.

That means whether your loved one or BFF treats their ride as an object of unnatural affection or merely a transportation appliance, there’s probably an automotive gift for them.

“A lot of people are commuting and they’re spending hours and hours in their car,” says Joanne Elson, spokeswoman for Canadian Tire, which recently issued its Christmas catalogue.

“So a lot of these products are really a great gift idea. They’re not always something that you’d buy for yourself.”

Electronic gadgets are a good place to start.

“We’re seeing a lot of provinces now rolling out the hands-free legislation,” says Elson, referring to the half-dozen provinces that so far have banned hands-on mobile phone use in cars.

“So a lot of the Bluetooth products have become really popular, especially this year.”

Phones equipped with Bluetooth wireless technology can link to a variety of devices that allow voice-enabled hands-free dialling and talking without necessarily wearing an earpiece.

Canadian Tire’s catalogue includes units that clip to the sun visor and one that displays numbers in the rear-view mirror. Electronics and mobile phone retailers, as well as some car audio shops, are other good sources.

A lot of newer cars come with audio systems capable of handling iPods or other digital music players but the aftermarket offers some options for older cars.

The easiest setups involve small units that plug into the car’s power outlet and use an FM signal to send the music to the car’s FM radio on an unused frequency. These cost around $100 at electronics stores such as Future Shop but the sound quality is limited to the radio’s abilities and can be subject to interference.

Hard-wiring an iPod adapter with an auxiliary input or USB connection into, say, the glove compartment, is a better bet. Kits are available that use either the FM radio or an input on the system that allows the driver to control the iPod using the car stereo’s controls.

These can cost up to several hundred dollars for hardware and installation and it’s best to research the type of stereo in the vehicle before buying anything. Car audio shops are the best source of information for this.

Navigation systems are becoming ubiquitous and affordable but finding the right combination of features and map coverage takes some research.

It’s worthwhile checking websites such as cnet.com for reviews (that goes for other car electronics, too). Prices are in U.S. dollars but give some idea of the range. Then it’s an easy step to find Canadian retailers carrying the one you’ll wrap up for under the tree.

As people carry more stuff in their vehicles, car organizers and storage systems have become more sophisticated. There are bins and bags that fit in trunks or attach to seats. Canadian Tire’s catalogue even features an inflatable roof rack.

Getting a cleaning appliance for Christmas is usually a relationship-ender but who wouldn’t appreciate a powerful hand vacuum cleaner that can suck the dog hair out of the back-seat upholstery?

Guys probably won’t turn their noses up at a pressure washer — though finding stores that stock them during the winter may be a challenge.

Another approach is a gift certificate from a reputable auto-detailing shop, essentially a spa day for one’s wheels.

Beyond such practical gifts, there’s a trove of things for people who just love cars — models, books, videos and memorabilia.

Ted Wilkinson turned a love of things automotive into a small business, eventually opening Wilkinson’s Automobilia in Vancouver in 1988.

It’s a mecca for people looking for scale models of their favourite vehicles, books, old car brochures, classic Dinky and Corgi toys, shop manuals and other stuff. The little store gets crowded around Christmas.

“It’s the busiest time of the year, that’s for sure,” says Wilkinson.

The store has had an online presence for a decade and its site — eautomobilia.com — was recently revamped to make it easier for customers to search its stock of 20,000 items.

“Just about all automotive enthusiasts are very particular,” says Ted. “We have to carry so much different stuff.”

One regular customer buys nothing but the latest Corvette model for her husband’s collection.

Fanatics follow the release dates for models of their favoured car marques very closely.

Wilkinson is awaiting a new 1:18 scale model of the 1958 Testa Rossa ($350) from CMC, whose highly detailed models are designed in Germany and hand-built in China.

“We’re supposedly going to get that just before Christmas, so that will be a big seller for us,” says Ted.

If the price is a little too rich, model makers offer something for almost every budget.

Books, too, can range in price, from “Throttle,” a reproduction by Rodders Journal of a set of magazines from the dawn of the hot-rod era in the 1940s ($49.95), to “Lancia: 70 Years of Trailblazing,” a lavish history of the defunct Italian marque with a DVD included for $154.95.

Speaking of DVDs, no suggestion list would be complete without some great car movies: “Bullitt” (Steve McQueen, a green Mustang, a Dodge Charger and San Francisco’s hills), “Vanishing Point” (a man on a quest in a Dodge Challenger), the original “Italian Job” (Michael Caine, Minis racing through storm drains) and John Frankenheimer’s lavish “Grand Prix” (thrilling non-CGI racing scenes on real tracks like Monaco and Monza overlaid with a soap-opera plot). That’s just a few.

Speaking of racing, a web search turns up plenty of race-related items from videos to clothing and related swag that a dedicated fan will appreciate.

Don’t overlook your local car dealership as a source of giftware. The parts counter often features items from models to key chains and caps featuring your giftee’s favourite brand.

Car magazines market a variety of things from T-shirts to framed or unframed photo reprints. Road and Track, for instance, has an archive dating back more than half a century.

Stocking stuffers? Travel mugs, model-specific key fobs, little LED flashlights for the glove box, electronic tire-pressure gauges, gift subscriptions to car magazines.

Steve Mertl
VANCOUVER — The Canadian Press
Published on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009 4:57PM EST

Another great auto detailing blog can be found here at auto detailing tv!

The average cost of many of these bikes can be much greater than the average car and in many cases can reach well into the six figures for the very exotic. We have a client that we maintain his entire fleet of vehicles that includes several high-end autos, his multi-million dollar corporate jet and his four bikes. Of all the vehicles, he only inspects the bikes! This customer obviously has millions invested into his jet and cars yet his bikes are where his passion is found. Take that one illustration very serious, custom bike customers will be your best critic or your worst depending on the quality you offer.

Motorcycles come in a wide range of makes, models and sizes from varied countries. Some are custom ordered from the factories while others are hand built for a specific customer. No matter their brand or cost, your average bike customer will simply demand pure quality.

Types of Bikes

Factory Harley-Davidson Domestic Bikes:

Of the bikes we do within our operations, this is by far the most common name brand and type. With that said, this picture represents just one of several models within the Harley lineup. The sizes and complexity are very diversified but the Harley owner is a proud owner and very dedicated to the correct maintenance of their bikes.

Custom Built Bikes

These bikes are for the very serious owner. The average price for these bikes can range from $50,000 to as high as $250,000.00! You better know what you are doing with these bikes!

High-End Import Bikes

Another very specialized bike with a very serious group of owners! These bikes can cost more than I recently paid for a new Suburban!

High-End Duel Sport Bikes

While many of these bikes see the road, many also see the dirt roads and can be a challenge to detail! While a hearty bike, their owners will still expect perfection when they have their bike detailed.

Touring Bikes

Years ago, Honda was about the only manufacturer of these big bikes. Currently many manufactures build and offer touring bikes and some of the high-end importers are now offering some serious bikes that have a very loyal following.

Sports Bikes

Outside of bike dealerships we perform very little of these due in part that many are owned by young riders that do the detail themselves.

Collector Bikes

Not all that common but when you do get one to detail you need to be careful!

Dirt Bikes

We do a great number of used dirt bikes for bike shops that have these bikes within their showrooms. The required skills of dirt bike detailing are different from street bikes due in part to the amount of plastic you are dealing with.

THE CHALLENGES OF DETAILING MOTORCYLES AND CUSTOM BIKES

Bikes have one difficult challenge that many detail technicians overlook, bikes have a wide range of surfaces to deal with.

• Painted surfaces- Factory and custom paint schemes.
• Chrome - A bike is covered in chrome and knowing how to get it to shine correctly is a true task.
• Highly Polished Aluminum - While aluminum polishing seems basic to truly master bike detailing you better know the art and workings of aluminum polishing.
• Machined Aluminum - Machined finishes will require a specialized polishing method that differs greatly from finishes that are shine finished.
• Stainless Steel - Rub out stainless too much and you may destroy the stainless steel finish.
• Braded Metal Lines - Very time consuming
• Leather - Bikes have leather and that leather is fully exposed to the elements and you need to be confident within your leather skills and knowledge.
• Plastic - Treating any plastic on a bike with the wrong type of dressing could cause issues and cost you a customer!
• Rubber - Now, when you dress a bike you have very key things you do want to do and several you do not want to do and much like plastic dressing you better know the correct products to use.

POSSIBLE SERVICES TO OFFER FOR MOTORCYCLE CUSTOMERS

The service we offer our bike clients are simply easy to sell.

• Motorcycle Deluxe Wash - This is our entry-level bike service. Includes a full wash, a hand drying, basic metal cleaning and dress plastic and rubber. This service for a bike is more costly than our same service for a car! It takes longer and requires more experience.
• Motorcycle Express Detail- This is what we call our basic detail where we do the same services as the above deluxe wash with paint protection added. We also treat the leather/vinyl areas.
• Motorcycle Detail - Again all the same services as the two above services but with paint polishing and also basic metal polishing. This level of service also includes advance wheel cleaning and advance degreasing of all surfaces.
• Specialty Motorcycle Detail Services - When a client desires each and every surface to be detailed to the highest level, this is the service! We polish all surfaces and every inch of the bike is detailed. This is a very serious task and with that is not a cheap process.

PRODUCT SELECTION

Product selection is much more important with motorcycles than one would think. While everyday detail product will work, your results may also be everyday. While your paint products may remain the same with custom bikes, specialty areas such as chrome, polished aluminum, machined metals and stainless steel surfaces will require the best of the best in products. In recent years we have compared common products on the outlined areas of motorcycles vs. the more specialized products and the differences if very apparent. Remember, motorcycle detailing is normally a step above auto detailing in the minds of the average bike customer and what is acceptable within your auto detailing services may not be acceptable with your motorcycle customers so make your product selections wisely.

Watch for our next motorcycle-detailing article that will cover the pricing of services and provide more in-depth knowledge into the marketing of your motorcycle detailing services.

Attention To Details is a leader within detailing services. Our organization also provides custom tailored training for those looking to gain vast experience within the detailing profession. For more information on our services, training or nationwide business opportunities visit our web site or contact our office.