Introduction: Sugru Fix My Car

By Just Can't Stop Thinking
About: Just an ordinary person who loves #thinking and #tinkering

I love watching Sugru video advertisement... "WTF is...Sugru?" "It sticks anything... TO ANYTHING." I have read about Sugru for several times on Instructables, but I had no idea what it is and I was not interested to find out.. at that time. All I know is : "It is mouldable some kind like Play-Doh." Until it sponsors the Dorm Hacks Contest I think I need to find out deeper about Sugru and if it is useful to "make" something useful or fun :D

They ship worldwide. I ordered some and they arrived two days ago. The next day I started thinking "what to FIX?." I did a brainstorming to collect what I need to fix to minimize wasting my Sugru leftover. Here I presented you five fixes with two single use packs of Sugru. Check it out, who knows you might need one of this fixes on your car ^^

Step 1: Fix One : Tissue Holder Hook

It is Honda Freed in Indonesia, which dashboard has two tiers. I put my tissue holder at the lower tier because on top tier it will block the driver's view. But the lower tier is sloped down and causing the tissue holder falls down pretty often. I have put the anti-slip dash mat but it still falls down sometimes, mostly on aggressive acceleration.

Take one third of your single use pack of Sugru. Make a rectangle shape and bend it on your car key with the lower part twice longer than the upper part.

Step 2: Stick on Dash

I stick it on the wall between the top tier and the lower tier of my dashboard. If you only have one tier dashboard, you can stick it on the dash near the windscreen.

Give a gentle press with your finger around the boxing glove (is it? Or just my imagination?) so that it stick well on the dash.

Step 3: Sewing

Get a needle, one inch of strap, and some thread. Let's sew the strap at the back of your tissue holder. Sorry.. you don't know how to sew? A very simple sew? Just to get the strap stick on the tissue holder? Well, get your glue gun then. Ah... no.. no.. no.. wait a minute. Why don't you take a look at the hand sewing class? If you have no time for that, then get your wife, your girlfriend, your mom, your grandma, or your neighbor to sew it for you :D

Now hook the strap on the hook. Start your engine. Start drifting to see if your tissue holder still falls down or not :D No.. no... I'm just kidding. Please put on your seat belt and drive safely.

Step 4: Fix Two : Screen Visor

This fix is for my kids who love watching cartoon on a long ride. The dazzling screen is very annoying on a bright sunny day. The same thing bothers me when I am using my rear camera. Before this fix, I use a piece of thin cardboard plugged into the slit on top of the screen.

Until I meet Sugru and get a retractable paper tray from old printer. I can't remember well what type of printer it is for I have changed so many printers and salvaged the parts from the broken ones. This paper tray fits into the slit perfectly without any modification.

Step 5: Stick and Prop

Get one third (or less) of your single use pack of Sugru and stick it on the upper left and upper right side of the paper tray, then slip it into the slit and stick it on the top frame. There I still have a little slit between the paper tray and the screen. I stick it on the upper frame so that I can still do cables maintenance when something goes wrong with my audio without removing the Sugru and paper tray.

Now prop the newly stuck visor with anything to keep the position for 24 hours (as Sugru instructed). Sit back and compare the visibility of the screen with previous screen, without visor ^^

Note : Another one third of this Sugru pack is used on my broken charging cable, so you can count six fixes with two packs :D

Step 6: Fix Three : Broken Gas Cap Strap

I got my gas cap strap broken last year. Due to its minor importance, I didn't get it replaced. Now I have Sugru and I think this fix will not consume much of it. I only need stick the broken strap, but I decided to add extra length to it.

Get a pinch of Sugru. Make a worm. I guess you know how to do it. Well put it between your palms and start rubbing (move one palm forward, the other palm backward, and then move them in the opposite ways, and again and again, take a peep inside your palms, if you see there's a worm, then you are done.)

Step 7: Link It

Align the broken strap, you might need something to help holding them in positions. Put your worm on one strap. And then join the other side of your worm on the other part of the strap. Leave it there for 24 hours. Do not worry, your worm will survive the long cold night.

Step 8: Fix Four : the Knocking Sound

I have a license plate holder accessory. It doesn't scratch the lower bumper, but it knocks onto the vertical grille which will bring annoying sound into the cabin.

Step 9: Bumpers for Bumper

Take two pinches of Sugru and patch the vertical grille, where the license plate holder bumps onto. As it dries and turn into rubber, there will be no more knocking sound. You may want to add bumpers on your bumper instead. Simply stick some Sugru on top of the lower part of your bumper to prevent the plate holder sloped back (I prefer the sloped plate to the straight one).

Step 10: Fix Five : Hood Prop Rod

I got battery malfunction last year. The acid sprinkled out causing damage to plastic parts nearby. One of them is my hood prop rod end. The mechanic temporarily patched it with cardboard and masking tape. The OEM part comes with a full prop set. Why should I purchase the whole set while I only need the plastic end? If only I had a 3D printer. Then comes Sugru. Well, let's switch the plastic with rubber shall we ^^

Mark the position on the rod while it is plug into the hole. Actually I don't need to put any end to the rod. I can prop it carefully, but this car is not private and I can't guarantee my relatives can take care of this as I do. Beside that, it has double layer plate on the prop position on the hood. But it is still better to take care of this and avoid the unwanted things to happen.

Step 11: Patch the Rod

First, get a temporary prop to hold the hood steadily while you are working. Get half of single use pack of Sugru and form a rectangle shape or cube. Make sure it is wide enough so that it won't go through the prop's hole. I added some extra part surrounding the rod next to the rectangle so that the hole's surrounding will not bump directly to the rod. Then I pinch some more and put it on the rod tip. We don't need this because the tip will no more touch the hood from the inside, but adding some to the tip will work as failsafe, in case the rectangle block is broken someday (it is soft and someone might think it was a piece of dark chocolate and start biting.. ah.. who knows). Again, you will need to wait for 24 hours before you try your prop rod mod.

Step 12: What's Next?

  • My prop rod holder was also broken and I have mod it with polypropylene security seal. Maybe I will change it with Sugru one day.
  • My plastic battery cap is also broken, but I am waiting for another idea with my Classic Red Sugru before I pinch some for my battery cap ;)
  • My rear camera is stuck with double sided tape, but it won't last for long. Moreover if I use high pressure water to clean my car. Again I will wait until I have some leftover on my Sugru pack :D
  • People put small emblem on their front grille. I have a very large gap between the grille and the hood, so I put a larger emblem in between. There's no where to stick the emblem and I have to custom a stand on the grille. It is a piece of iron bent into desired angle. Stick one side on the grille and stick the emblem on the iron. Here I use double sided tape and hot glue. I will switch to Sugru if the glue can't hold it firm no more.

Want some more? I am sitting in my office and thinking ... I will participate in Glue Contest ^_^