Every car owner knows how to wash and wax their cars every now and then to give it a shiny finish, and even an occasional vacuuming for clean freaks who want their car to be spick and span. However, it’s one thing to keep your car clean, and another to ensure that it looks brand new. There are plenty more steps you can take to ensure that your car maintains at tip-top condition, regardless of whether you are planning to sell it in the near future or you basically just prefer having a brand new looking car for your family and occasional colleague passengers. We have come up with a few things that you can do to keep your car looking sleek and sharp as ever, here’s how:
1. Prevention is the best cure
Before your car starts to dwindle in its appearance, you need to keep it maintained from the first day. With so many car cleaning products in the market, there is no excuse for you to leave your car in the dirt for days. A pro tip to ensuring that your car is at its best condition at all times is to do a quick cleaning after parking your car each day. Spray on a little waterless wash product and clean your car real quick. It only takes you about a couple of minutes a day and the effects are absolutely long-lasting and effective. Another way to upkeep the appearance of your car is by constantly checking on the various parts and making sure that they are well maintained. For instance, one part that is often neglected is the wheel bearing hub which will affect the overall look of your car. If you notice that your wheel bearing hubs are starting to lose their shine, fret not for there are plenty of low price wheel bearing hub assembly options out there; along with other car part assembly choices as well!
2. Maintain the interior
While most are concerned with the outer appearance of the vehicle, its interior is important too! Especially for convertibles with a detached roof that allows a lot of dirt and grime to get into the car, every car has to be well maintained on the inside as well; to avoid your leather peeling and being worn out. With just a few sprays from an interior spray detailer, you can keep the inner linings of your seats looking brand new. A tip is to pay more attention to leather and vinyl seating surfaces as they are more delicate and more prone to scarrings and filth. Abrasive particles can easily get onto these surfaces and damage your linings if you do not pay attention to it. Do frequent wipe downs of your seats before the dust collection gets too stubborn and damages your cabin.
3. Using a towel
While it may be second nature to spray cleaning products onto the hood or seat of your car, you should always spray it on a towel or applicator to make the work more effective. The towel soaks in the product, preventing the overuse of such products which can damage your car in the long run. Furthermore, spraying on a particular surface may cause some extra disinfectant products to get on other materials and damage the surface as well. So the bottom line is to stay smart and always use a towel.
4. Do not always handwash
Contrary to popular belief, handwashing your car does not always result in less damage compared to sending your car to a proper car washing service. Though car owners may worry that industrial car washers will cause scratches on the car, there is a higher chance of that happening if you handwash your own car with low-grade equipment. Old sponges and towels that have collected a great deal of grime may damage your car’s surface as well. Hence, it is recommended to either purchase a microfiber wash mitt and proper car soap for your precious vehicle, or send it to the professionals to get the job done for you.
5. Polishing alone is not enough
While some may tell you that frequently polishing your car will help to maintain the shine of your vehicle, preparing the coat of paint of your car is equally as essential. Think about it this way: a wall with dents, holes, and chipped off paint will not be made brand new with even the highest quality of paint — it requires fixing the wall first before you apply anything onto it. The same applies to your car — it is best to get rid of all the dirt and contaminants on your car’s surface first before you start polishing it in order to really get that bright and radiant shine. So make sure that your car is well cleansed before you go ahead and polish your vehicle up.
6. Opt to use a clay bar
Instead of using a traditional towel or sponge, car owners should jump straight to the holy grail of cleaning cars — a clay bar. Clay bars are highly effective in its speed and efficiency when it comes to getting rid of accumulated dirt and grime off the surface of your car, allowing polish and paint to adhere to your car properly. Clay bars work wonders, and far more so than your traditional towel and sponge. Though it has been around for decades, car owners are still unaware of this powerful tool that can do some real magic to your car.
7. Wax or polish
As you walk down the aisle of your nearby auto-parts stores, you may be tempted to purchase both wax and polish to bring back that radiant glow of your car. However, you do not need both — so just pick one. This could save you a lot of extra time and money since they are designed to do the exact same thing.
8. Do not use too much product
When you are applying the final layer of product onto your car, remember that using too much product will not give the additional protection or disinfectant properties as compared to the amount you should use as recommended on the product itself. Using more product will not only force you to waste more time and effort, but it will also make you spend more money to consistently replenish your products. Putting on too thick a layer will make it harder for your car to dry off, and possibly leave behind unpleasant marks if it does not dry off properly.
Conclusion
These are some methods that you can employ to keep your vehicle looking as sharp as possible. However, a tip is to consistently clean your car, as one good and thorough cleaning after three years of no washing at all will not help your car much in its appearance. Making a point to wash your car and giving it a thorough rub down will help make the world of a difference. A little really does go a long way!