About Canadian Gearhead - Canadian Gearhead

Canadian Gearhead is founded and run by Tim Rempel in Ontario, Canada. Based on a passion for cars and taking care of them, Canadian Gearhead serves as a source of answers to many of your automotive questions. From detailing tips to buyers guides, modifications, and maintenance, there’s something for every car enthusiast at CanadianGearhead.com!

Canadian Gearhead’s Story

It was January of 2018 and like many others, I was riding the “New year, new me” wave. It seemed like everywhere I turned, I was constantly being reminded of how important it was to build a personal brand. It was very obvious what mine would be about if I were to start it:

Cars.

I’ve been obsessed with cars, trucks, and bikes from a very early age. How early? Well, I’ve been told by my mom that the first time she handed me a rattle as a baby, I pushed it along the ground while making a “vrooooom” noise. Yup – that early.

Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to be able to work on some pretty awesome cars. The thing is, I wasn’t always a detailing expert. When I bought my first car (a 1989 Toyota Corolla SR5), I knew the importance of keeping it clean and waxed thanks to my Dad and Grandfather. But I was completely new to the detailing world.

Fast track a few years later, and 19-year-old me had just made my first big purchase in life – a 1991 Toyota MR2. It was an original Canadian Turbo model with low mileage and I knew I wanted to do everything I could to maintain its beautiful condition.

I started with the typical over-the-counter products from Canadian Tire. I worked my way up to the point of hand polishing the car with the Meguiar’s 3-step system (anybody remember that?!). At this point, I knew I had been bitten by the detailing bug.

I needed to know more. I talked to car show winners about how they prepped their cars for display. I talked to Corvette owners about the wonders of Zaino. I spent hours upon hours scouring the internet trying to absorb as much detailing information as humanly possible. The more I learned, the more I wanted to know.

When I bought a Porter Cable DA polisher it came with a DVD by Mike Phillips showing me how to use it. My first attempt at paint correction absolutely blew my mind. I knew then and there that this was a skill I wanted to master. And that’s exactly what I did.

As the industry changed, I kept up to date on the latest products and techniques. Then I’d test them out on one of my vehicles. Eventually, it got to the point where people were beginning to notice the shine I was able to not only achieve but maintain on all of my vehicles, including my daily driver.

One friend asked me to help him with his car. Then another friend. And another. The next thing I knew, I had my own detailing business. I wasn’t the guy you called when your kid barfed all over the back seat of your minivan. I was the guy you called when you wanted to win a car show and as a matter of fact, that’s exactly what happened once.

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I was the go-to guy for any advice or help with taking care of the cars we’re all passionate about. Canadian Gearhead very quickly became an online extension of that same concept. I could see the internet’s reaction to the content I was writing and the message was clear – people love learning about taking care of their cars.

Now, 4 years and 170+ articles later, I’m showing no signs of stopping. As a matter of fact, I’m focusing on growing the site to be able to produce even more content by hiring a team of writers. They all love cars just like I do, except some of them come from other areas of the industry where I have less experience. I think we all have lots to learn from them.

This site isn’t just about automotive detailing though. You see, I’m a big Toyota truck lover. Whether I meant to or not, that passion has spread throughout the site. 4runners, Tacomas, Tundras – I love talking about all of them. We’re an all-Toyota household here at CG Headquarters!

Canadian Gearhead YouTube

It’s no secret that the future in which people choose to consume information is with video. There are still a lot of people that want to read articles though (especially during your extended bathroom break at work, hmmmm?).

I originally planned to use the YouTube channel to drive traffic to this site. One day on the way to the beach, I pulled off on the side of the road to talk about the 4runner in an impromptu video. Today, it has over half a million views.

Not one to let an opportunity to go to waste, I chose to build out the video side of the business. I’ve recently surpassed 10,000 subscribers and continue to see growth.

The YouTube channel is a little more Toyota truck based than the website. I’ve tested different types of videos on there but the answer is pretty clear – the audience loves Toyota content. I’m happy to accomodate that!