12 Obsolete ’80s Car Repair Kits That Are Extinct
These car repair kits once filled garages across America but disappeared as technology and professional service became more accessible.
- Alyana Aguja
- 4 min read
In the 1980s, DIY car culture was thriving, and companies rushed out all kinds of kits to help the average driver fix things at home. Many of them made bold promises but delivered lackluster results, relying more on gimmicks than real mechanics. As vehicles grew more complex and drivers demanded better outcomes, these kits quietly vanished from shelves and memory.
1. Presto Magix Auto Body Decal Repair Kit
Yuvraj Singh from Unsplash
This oddball kit promised to hide scratches and dings with peel-and-stick decals that matched common car colors. In reality, it looked more like putting stickers on your car than any legitimate bodywork. Most drivers abandoned it once they realized it made their vehicles look like giant Hot Wheels.
2. JC Whitney DIY Chrome Touch-Up Kit
Fikri Rasyid from Unsplash
JC Whitney once offered an at-home chrome restoration set that included a questionable silver paste and a plastic polishing tool. It was marketed to muscle car enthusiasts trying to bring back their bumpers’ shine. However, it wore off fast and left behind streaks, leading many to give up and head to a pro shop.
3. Simoniz Color Match Paint Pens
Vladislav Degtyarev from Unsplash
Long before modern touch-up pens got precise, these chunky markers tried to “match” your car’s paint color with generic shades like “blue” or “red.” They almost never blended well, especially once sun exposure changed the car’s finish. Many drivers ended up with blotchy fenders that looked worse than the original scratch.
4. Fix-a-Fender Foam Injection Repair
Usman Malik from Unsplash
This kit used expanding foam to “restore” damaged plastic fenders and panels from behind. It sounded smart, but often ballooned too much, cracked the outer surface, or hardened unevenly. Mechanics groaned whenever they saw a DIY fix like this roll into the shop.
5. Duraclad Muffler Patch Kit
Christopher John from Unsplash
This tin foil and heat-resistant goop combo was supposed to patch rust holes in mufflers. While it temporarily dulled the rattle, the patch often peeled off or burned away within weeks. Anyone who used it learned quickly that a real weld was always better.
6. Vigilite Headlight Refocusing Kit
Nathan Dumlao from Unsplash
This kit was meant to recalibrate your old sealed beam headlights, using stick-on filters and tiny mirrors. It promised a brighter vision without replacing the bulb. However, drivers soon realized the gimmick scattered light more than it focused it.
7. Rain-X Wiper Blade Sharpening Tool
Thibault Valjevac from Unsplash
In the ’80s, Rain-X sold a handheld sharpener designed to “renew” worn rubber wiper blades instead of replacing them. It removed rubber to create a new edge, but also reduced blade pressure and left streaks. People eventually accepted that wiper blades should just be replaced.
8. Kragen Fuel Injector Cleaning Syringe
Georg Eiermann from Unsplash
This DIY kit involved a plastic syringe and a bottle of solvent that you were supposed to inject directly into your fuel system. The method sounded risky because it was. Clogged injectors needed more than a turkey baster and a prayer.
9. TRW Drum Brake Adjuster Kit
Wade Lambert from Unsplash
In an era when drum brakes were still common, TRW sold a toolset meant to help backyard mechanics tweak the adjusters manually. The process involved trial-and-error tightening with a special forked tool that rarely fit right. It was tedious, inaccurate, and eventually replaced by automatic adjusters and disc brakes.
10. Armor All Dashboard Crack Filler Kit
Image from Wikipedia
This early Armor All kit came with a putty stick and color “blender” to fill dashboard cracks caused by sun damage. Instead of restoring the dash, it often highlighted the repair with mismatched tones and a waxy finish. Most people gave up halfway through or called it quits after their dash looked like a melted crayon.
11. NAPA Underhood Steam Degreaser Kit
Patrik Storm (Alstra Pictures) from Unsplash
This portable kit used a chemical canister and hose to blast steam under the hood, supposedly to clean grease and grime. It worked best on small messes, but the pressure was weak, and overspray damaged electrical components. One wrong aim and you’d fry your alternator.
12. Fram Engine Noise Silencer Kit
Alison Ivansek from Unsplash
Fram once offered an oil additive and rubber engine mount cushions in a kit to reduce noise and vibration. The additive thickened oil, sometimes clogging filters, while the rubber inserts barely made a dent in noise. Drivers found that fixing worn parts worked better than masking the symptoms.