Your car is your pride and joy. You’ve spent endless hours tinkering with it, cleaning it, and buffing it to perfection.
If you plan on bringing your baby to a car show, you may want to detail it first. This will really showcase the beautiful paint job and chrome parts on your vehicle.
Whether you own a vintage Cadillac, Corvette, Honda, or Firebird, here are some handy auto detailing tips to remember.
Begin with the Wheels
You need a clean car above all else to shine at the car show. That means it’s time to give your baby a bath.
It’s recommended you begin with the wheels. This may seem strange to you, but there’s a good reason for it other than your wheels looking clean if you need your car towed.
By washing the wheels before the rest of the vehicle, you keep the wheel openings clean. That prevents unwanted dirt, brake dust, cleaner runoff, and other debris from ruining your cleaning job.
Don’t Use a Heavy Spray of Water
Take your time with the auto detailing process. When cleaning all parts of your car, keep the water pressure light or medium. Don’t exceed medium pressure.
You won’t believe how much grime and dirt you can remove with a light spray of water. If all of it doesn’t come off, no problem. You can use a mitt or sea sponge to scrub the rest of the grime away.
Make Sure to Wax
You want your car to look as good as the day it was made, even if that was decades ago. After cleaning the exterior of your vehicle, you should wax it next.
A wax seal is good for your vehicle in many ways. The most obvious benefit is how new your car will look. This seal also prevents the elements from weathering your vehicle’s shiny clean paint job.
Don’t overdo it on the wax. It’s better to use too little and have to add more than use too much.
After waxing, use a clay bar. This can remove stubborn airborne contaminants, tree sap, and even stray pieces of metal.
Clean Vinyl Carefully
Got vinyl surfaces in your car? Not just any cleaner will do.
Indeed, petroleum distillates, abrasives, and cleaning detergents will do more harm than good. It’s better to stick to simple water and soap to get the job done.
Treat the Carpets, Too When Auto Detailing
The vehicle’s carpets are an oft-forgotten feature, but they can get dirty in a hurry. Use a portable vacuum to suck up loose dirt, crumbs, leaves, and other debris that’s accumulated.
If that didn’t work, you have other options. You’ll have to get in the car and clean more deeply with a soft-bristled brush. That should dislodge those stubborn stains free.
Need help with one of your vintage vehicles? Check out Motor Era, a resource for all things vehicular. You can learn more about your car’s make and model, review a glossary of automotive terms, and even get repair tips.