10 Quick Car Care & Cleaning Tips
Car Care
Car care can mean different things to different people. But If you think that a car is nothing but a metal on wheels that can get you from A to B, then please move on.
This page is dedicated to car owners who treat their cars with love and respect; the people who like to have their vehicles cleaned inside and out, and protected from all harmful elements.
I came up with this post because of the number of emails I get asking for tips on how to get a car looking show room clean. So here it is my basic guide to car care and cleaning. Enjoy!
Car Care Tip 1: Take Off Your Bling
As much as you love your oversized shaped ring, when it comes to car care, you need to take it off and keep it safe in your pocket.
It’s not so much that your ring will lose its luster, but more because you risk scratching your car’s paintwork to bits. So if you really care for your car, strip yourself free from any jewelry that may accidentally scratch your paintwork.
Care Car Tip 2: Use a Clay Bar
A car care oldie, and a trick to getting back that new paint job look is by using clay bars. A decent one will have your car gleaming just as it did when you drove it out of the showroom. You won’t have swirl marks nor will you have dried watermarks. Use the clay bar a couple of times a year and wait to see the difference.
Car Care Tip 3: One for Clean Water, One for Rinsing
This is a simple yet vital rule to car washing. For common sense car care use two buckets of water, dedicating one for rinsing off the dirt on your sponge or mitt. You wouldn’t wash your face with dirty, recycled water would you? Same goes for your car.
Car Care Tip 4: No Pressure Washer Needed
If you swear by how much cleaner your car is when you use a pressure washer then you’re right. It strips off the dirt so well that it can even strips off your paint. The pressure from these washers is generally too harsh for use on cars, especially cars with aged paintwork. I’ve seen it literally peel off stickers and disintegrate already damaged paint. Trust me, or see for yourself.
Car Care Tip 5: Do Not Use Household Soap
Seriously, this is the most common car care mistake of all. Sure dish soaps clean your pots well. Heck, they even smell good too. Doesn’t mean they will do the same for your car! Most household cleaners are either very acidic or alkali, and that’s a big No-No for your paint job. It eats up the wax and polish off your car before eating away at the clear coat too. You will eventually lose all protective layers to your paint if you keep using household soap on your car. So only use car shampoos formulated with the correct PH-neutral.
Car Care Tip 5: Invest in Specialist Products
You can rub all you want but unless you use a specialist car care products, you will never get that ingrained road tar, birdy poops, or tree sap off your paint. When it comes to the hard stuff, it’s worth purchasing that occasional specialist car care product.
Car Care Tip 6: Bring on the Microfibers
Why? Simply because microfiber towels do the job well and clean up well afterwards.
They are plenty of cheap, disposable, and biodegradable ones to choose from, and of course crucially they are gentle on the car.
Car Care Tip 7: Enough with Chamois
Car Care chamois are so old school… and lets not even talk about those ShamWow cloths, which are even worst and never really do the job they promise anyway. Instead, get a soft silicon blade to quickly and efficiently swipe water off your bodywork. I promise you’ll never look back.
Car Care Tip 8: Wax and Polish
If you’re going to spend the afternoon doing a touch of car care waxing and polishing your car, then don’t waste your effort by skimping on the good stuff. Invest in good quality products rather than going for the shop’s special of the day – there’s a reason it’s a special.
Car Care Tip 9: No Silicon Cleaners on Your Engine
Back-to-Black is great for car care outside your car, but never use it to detail your engine. It gets sticky when dry and your engine will attract more dirt when covered in the silicon cleaner residue.
Car Care Tip 10: Avoid Hot Days
On hot days, soap and water will dry out fast. OK…so it doesn’t take a genius to figure that one out. But while the heat may cut your washing and wiping time down by heaps, you’re unfortunately allowing water and calcium streaks to form; and trust me, they’re very hard to rinse off, if rinse-able at all. Do your car a favor, and wait for a cooler but dry day or at least find some shade.
To health and vehicle happiness,
Your fearless mechanic,
Phil
It’s road trip time!
Sun tan lotion? Check.
Mills and Boon? Check.
Strawberries and cream? Check.
Cooler? Check. The kids? Check.
So you’re all ready to roll out for your summer road trip…
Then you hear the voice in the background…“Darling have you checked the car?”
Question. Before you hit the road, are you up to date with your summer vehicle maintenance?
It’s ok I get it… vehicle auto maintenance is perhaps the last thing on your mind. But trust me, it will hit the top spot pretty damn fast if you end up breaking down at the side of the road.
So to help, here are my top 7 summer vehicle maintenance checks – which I hope once carried out, you’ll be patting yourself on the back for.
Oh… and don’t forget the lemonade.
First up:
1. Tyre Check:
I didn’t want to go there, but traveling during the summer in the UK, can and generally does involve driving in the rain. So its important to ensure that the tread on your tyres is adequate for any rainy weather, we really don’t want you ending up in a ditch.
Checking the tread depth on your tyre’s doesn’t take long, so while you’re at it you may as well check your tyre pressure too.
2. Replace Windshield Wipers:
Have you ever put your windscreen wipers on during a downpour, to realise they are not… doing the job there suppose to? It’s not a good look, and it can most definitely be scary.
The UK has just been through a rather intense winter, so it makes sense to check your windscreen wipers for wear and tear.
Winter weather can be ruthless on your windshield wipers, making them virtually useless during those summer showers. So by having quick vehicle maintenance check, and ideally replacing them at the beginning of the summer it should aid to a little peace of mind.
3. Check Your Headlights:
It’s so easy to be driving, without realising that one of your headlights is out.
Not only is it unsafe, but the police could pull you over and slap you with a ticket, – all of which is unnecessary. So what better time than now, to do a quick vehicle maintenance check,and take a little gander to see if you need to replace a headlight bulb.
4. Inspect Your Brakes:
It goes without saying, but car safety should be your top priority, and what is a car without good brakes?
I always suggest to my customers, that they at least inspect their brakes twice a year just to make sure everything is tiptop. But while you’re at it, why not check your brake fluid also.
5. Car Radiator Flush:
Did you know that the coolant in your radiator doesn’t last forever? In fact unless replenished over time, it can break down and begin to corrode the inside of your radiator. Which would naturally lead to cooling problems and, you got it…radiator repair.
A great, cheap way to prevent this and reduce the cost of vehicle maintenance is by flushing your radiator once a year.
6. Check Your Car Battery:
You may think, that checking the car battery every now and again should be given. But unfortunately, you’d be surprised just how many people fail to do it until it is too late.
During winter months corrosion is very likely to build up. So take some time out to check your battery posts and cables to ensure that you have no starting problems.
7. Replace Your Air Filter:
Last but by no means least; you should really replace your air filter twice a year. It’s a 10-minute job and good check to get it out the way before your summer road trip.
Glass of Pimms Anyone?
7 top tips for summer vehicle maintenance checks
Finally… let’s be honest, it’s summer, and at the end of the day who doesn’t like a drop of Pimms or a glass of plonk or two? But if you’re driving – car safety begins and indeed ends with you.
So please don’t do anything silly like drink driving or speeding, it’s really not worth it. But most of all, enjoy your road trips and enjoy the summer, because who knows how long it will last!
If you have the know-how and the tools, perhaps now is good time to look at undertaking some of my 7 top summer vehicle maintenance checks. If not, and you need a little guidance, feel free to get in touch as we’d love to help.
To vehicle health
By Philip Xavier