As we inch closer to the summer months, it’s time that many of us give our vehicles a thorough spring cleaning. The winter months can wreak havoc on your car’s interior, and it’s always good to keep on top of that in order to leave your car in the best possible condition. We’ve consulted with our professional detail department to bring you some of the most unique car cleaning tips that we use at our dealership to keep our cars looking shiny and new.
1. Always Wash Your Car in a Shaded Area.
Next time you wash your car, pull it into a shaded area. Washing your car in the sun causes the soapy water to dry too quickly, leaving unwanted spots and water marks on your vehicle’s exterior.
2. Start at the Top, Work to the bottom.
When washing your car, it’s best to start at the top. If you start at the bottom, the dirty water from upper areas of the car will travel downwards and soil the lower areas of the car. Also, the rocker panels and areas around your tire tend to pick up the most dirt. Starting at the top eliminates the chance of your sponge picking up dirt from the bottom of the car and scratching your finish.
3. Don’t Use Dish Soap.
It’s a common misconception that dish soap is safe to use on your vehicle’s exterior. Dish soap is a powerful detergent that will remove everything from the exterior of your car, including the polymers that help keep paint looking new. Dish Detergent also speeds the oxidation process of your vehicle’s exterior, causing it to look faded and dull more quickly. You’re much better off using a diluted car wash mixture that can be found at any local auto parts store.
4. Wash Your Door Sills.
One of the biggest tricks to keeping your car looking like new is to pay attention to the details. Door sills are often overlooked when washing a vehicle, but washing these will help restore that new car look to your vehicle. It doesn’t sound like much, but trust us – keeping the inside of the door seam clean adds a lot to the overall feel of your car cleaning efforts.
5. Clean Your License Plate.
Another item often overlooked when cleaning your car is the license plate. Nobody wants a rusty license plate to stand out against a freshly washed car. License plates tend to oxidize and rust very easily over the winter months. This can be solved by simply wiping them down with WD-40. Not only will this cause them too look clean and shiny, it will also remove light rust that has built up. It also helps to protect them from rusting in the future.
6. Use Newspaper on the Windows.
Keeping your windows and mirrors clean is another step towards retaining the new car feel. Rather than using paper towels when cleaning these, take a balled up piece of newspaper and wipe off the window solvent in a circular motion. This will result in a completely streak free finish.
7. Skip the Armor All.
While there is something to be said about the wet glossy look that Armor All lends to a car’s interior, it ends up causing your vehicle to get dirty quicker. Armor All attracts a lot of dust that builds up over time. You’re better off just wiping your interior plastics down with a mild detergent, and drying them to give your interior a more modern matte finished look.
8. Get Those Hard to Reach Places.
Getting in all the little hard to reach places of your interior helps to keep your vehicle looking new. When trying to get these areas, cotton swabs, toothbrushes, and paint brushes can be your best friend. A soft paint brush is especially helpful when trying to clean textured dashboards, as it gets into all the areas that just wiping with a terry cloth can not.
9. Kill the Odors.
A good trick to help your car smelling fresh and clean is done with a dryer sheet. Tear a dryer sheet in half and put a piece under each of the vehicle’s front seats. Leave it in there for a day or two to keep your car smelling freshly cleaned. Repeat when needed.
10. Buying a Chamois is Worth It.
Nobody wants water spots on the car after their car wash. A chamois is the best way to keep this from happening. It also doesn’t leave any small fibers on the car like a towel does.
We hope these are helpful to you. If you have any other tricks or tips of your own, tell us about them in the comments!
Heinrich Chevrolet, is your Buffalo Car Dealership. We’ve proudly served the WNY area for over 40 years.
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