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Buying a new car is a great feeling. The smell of fresh
leather as you The fresh smell of leather as you enter the
car. The paintwork is gleaming and waxy smooth. You might
even catch yourself stealing a glance at the reflection of
your pride and joy as you drive it out your house.
Skip ahead by 12 months and see how your car looks now. Is
it still gleaming new or does the paintwork look tired, dull and "old"? How can some cars look brand new even though they are already 3 years old? Why do others look "old" when it just rolled out the showroom 12 months ago?
The secret is in how you care for your car. It is easy to
keep your car like new if you know how.
1) A Wash A Week Keeps Your Car Clean & Slick
Much as you wish that your car will remain clean by itself,
it just won’t happen. Dust will accumulate even if you just
keep it in your garage. There’s only one thing to do. Wash
your car! It’s very important that you wash your car
especially after you’ve driven in the rain. If you let the
water droplets dry naturally, especially under the hot sun,
there will be tough-to-remove watermark stains on your
paintwork.
The first thing you need to wash your car is a clean and
soft terry cloth. Alternatively, you can use cloth diapers
as well. You can get these easily at the baby’s section in
your local departmental store. They’re cheap and it works.
Of course, if you want to be posh, then get the Ultimate
Wipe cloth from Meguiar’s
(http://www.fdcars.com/newsletter/n2-1.htm). You’ll need a
good car shampoo next. I personally use Meguiar’s NXT
Generation Car Wash
(http://www.fdcars.com/newsletter/n2-2.htm). It’s reasonably
priced and a 64oz bottle will last you quite a while.
Start off by hosing down your car to remove any dirt, mud or
grime. Then mix 3 caps-full of shampoo with around 20oz (a
small bucket) of water. Apply the shampoo mixture to your
car using the cloth/diaper. Hose off the shampoo once you’ve finished shampooing the car. Use your cloth under running water to wipe off any remaining shampoo residue. It is VERY important that you wipe your car dry with another clean terry cloth/diaper. Make sure your entire car is wiped dry.
Next, clean your rims. Brake dust normally accumulates there
and cleaning it will make a huge difference in how your car
looks. It’s pointless to have clean paintwork you’re your
rims are dirty. It’s also advisable to vacuum the inside of
your car every week or every other week. You spend your time
inside the car, so cleaning the interior just makes sense.
2) A Monthly Wax Keeps The Shine To The Max
Waxing your car will keep your paintwork gleaming new. You
can either send it to an auto detailer or do it yourself.
It’s actually not that difficult to wax your car. If you
have an hour or so of spare time, then try waxing your car
yourself.
It’s important that you wash and wipe dry your car before
waxing. NEVER wax your car before washing/drying it! It’s
best to park your car under in a shady area when waxing. It
makes sense to use a good carnauba wax like Meguiar’s NXT
Generation Tech Wax
(http://www.fdcars.com/newsletter/n2-3.htm). Use the
included sponge and apply the wax in a small circular
motion. Wax your car one section at a time, remembering
which section you started with. Finish applying wax on the
entire car.
Wipe off the excess wax using a soft terry cloth/cloth
diaper. Start with the first panel that you applied the wax
and continue from there. You’ll find the wax residue
accumulating on your cloth. Shake it off periodically and
continue to remove excess wax until you’ve finished all
panels.
Look carefully and check for remaining wax residue. Use your cloth to clean any remaining residue.
To prepare your cloth for your next wax, wash it with a
liquid softener. It’s fine to use the liquid softener that
you use for your clothes. This guarantees there isn’t any
remaining dirt/grime that may scratch your car during your
next waxing session.
3) Wax Your Tyre Next O’ Sire
For that shiny, wet look, wax your tyres after every
wash/wax. Use Meguiar’s Hot Shine High Gloss Tyre Spray
(http://www.fdcars.com/newsletter/n2-4.htm). The trigger
spray makes it easy to apply. You literally need less than 5
minutes for this but applying tyre spray/wax makes a big
difference.
4) Condition That Leather To Help It Fight The Weather
Make sure you clean and condition your leather seats at
least once every 2 months if you car comes with leather
seats. Use Meguiar’s Medallion Premium Leather Care
conditioner (http://www.fdcars.com/newsletter/n2-5.htm).
Apply the conditioner with a clean cloth/cloth diaper, leave
for 15 minutes and wipe off excess conditioner. Your leather
will look and smell like new if you do this every month.
While you’re at it, clean any vinyl surface of your car
using Meguiar’s Vinyl & Leather Cleaner/Conditioner
(http://www.fdcars.com/newsletter/n2-6.htm). This
maintains the interior looking like new.
5) Your Car’s Now Shiny So You Can Be Happy
Your car will look like it’s brand new if you follow this
routine. An hour or so every week pays huge dividends.
Friends and family will think you’ve just bought a new car
even though it’s 3 years old. The best thing is when it
comes time to sell your car. A car with gleaming new
paintwork and a clean interior makes a strong impression and
will automatically raise the selling price of your car!
P.S. The writer does not work for Meguiar’s and only
recommends the products as a satisfied customer.
Fantic Carro is the owner and webmaster of
FD Cars which is a
resource for car lovers worldwide. Visit his site for more
articles, reviews and tips on cars:
http://www.fdcars.com
This article is reprinted with permission from www.WritingCareer.com