Looking after your car
With new car prices skyrocketing, many people are holding onto their cars longer and find it an increasing challenge to keep their valuable asset looking good. Cleaning your car doesn’t have to be an unending chore. This guide may help to solve some common problems faced by car owners trying to maintain their vehicles in pristine condition.
Where to Start?
If you plan on giving your car a thorough clean, start on the interior. This way, the potentially fatal combination of electricity and water when vacuuming can be avoided.
Give yourself enough room to move freely about the car, and don’t have hoses, tools and power leads lying about your work space where they can trip you up.
TIP: Most cars need to be washed at least once a fortnight, depending on how often the car is driven and where it is garaged.
Steps to Wash Your Car Correctly
- Begin by hosing the car down, including the wheel arches where mud and sand build up and encourage rust.
- Remove any tar or squashed insects from the paint work with a soft rag soaked in mineral turpentine.
- Use a soft foam sponge and a good quality car wash detergent or a wash and wax combination. Household detergents and car wash brushes can damage the fine layer of polish protecting the paint, meaning the car will have to be repolished more often.
- Use a chamois to dry the car off when you’ve finished. This prevents unsightly soap and water stains and the chamois will pick up any small patches of dirt that may have been missed.
- It’s also a good time to check over the car for scratches and stone chips, which should be touched up as soon as possible to combat rust.
- To finish off, wipe around the door jambs with a damp rag.
How Often Do I Need to Polish My Car?
Polishing the car about once every three months should be enough to keep the paint work well protected. If the car’s paint looks very dull or flat, get some advice from a professional car detailer at Mr Ding-Go before attempting to polish it yourself.
