Advice on washing your vehicle
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Anyone who is above 40 years old would know that being able to drive decades ago meant that you also needed to know how to look after your vehicle.
This included washing the car, checking the engine oil level, coolant level, battery and using the jack in order to change a flat tyre.
These days, however, all you need is a small down payment and you can get a new car to drive around. All the maintenance work is carried out by service centres or fuel stations, including simple things like filling distilled water in the battery or checking tyre pressure.
More and more people are also deciding that they no longer want to wash their car by themselves. There is a large number of car-care centres that has become highly popular since it saves the car owner time as well as energy.
And even if you find car owners who wash the car by themselves, very few can do so properly, despite the fact that it is one of the simplest tasks on earth.
There are a few things to remember while washing your car.
For example, if there is any dirt (including bird droppings or tree sap) on the body of the car, do not wait until you have the time to take it to the car wash. In time the dirt could damage the paint or cause undulations in the paintwork.
Washing the car is always a good thing to do: besides saving money, you can also check for any dents or scratches.
And it is also a good exercise as well – remember Miyagi and his “wax in, wax out” technique in the movie Karate Kid?
Before washing the car, remove all the floor mats. If they are very dirty, water may not be enough and you may need some cleaning liquid and a brush. Let them dry out while you proceed with washing the car so that they’re likely to dry by the time you finish.
Look into the small gaps around the car such as the door hinges, and use a small stick to remove any dirt. Then use a vacuum cleaner to suck the fallen residue. This is a very important step especially for vehicles that have been driven to the beach. Sand usually gets into the car and it can end up in these tiny spots.
If you have leather or PVC upholstery, wipe them with damp cloth, or you can use special leather cleaner. For the console, also use a damp cloth. But for the fascia, make sure you use a soft and clean piece of cloth and do not put too much pressure while wiping since you can accidentally scratch the plastic.
When washing the car, always start from the roof. And if you have been driving a lot on highways at night, you might as well spray water into the front grill to soften the dead insects first so that they can be removed more easily.
While washing the car, you can also use your bare hands to feel any irregularities on the bodywork. Once the car is totally wet, dip a sponge into a bucket filled with water and car shampoo. Again, start at the roof and after you have removed any dead insects, bird dropping or other dirt, wash it clean.
While wiping the car dry, make sure you use cloth that doesn’t leave tiny thread bits on the body.
This is the most important part since you must have enough dry cloth on hand to wipe your vehicle. Don’t forget to lift open the front bonnet and the trunk lid plus the doors so that you can wipe off all the water.
For the windshields and windows, you can use glass cleaner for the exterior. But the interior is usually fitted with solar film so just use a damp cloth for cleaning. This will extend the lifespan of the film.
Then come the wheels and tyres. Apart from the car shampoo, you can use a small brush to remove the grit and black soot from the brake pads. Make sure the bristles are not too hard so that you don’t scratch the wheels. You can also use the brush to clean the tyre walls.
There is no need to use any chemical on the tyres to make them appear like new. If the chemical spills on the tyre treads, it could make the tyres slip when you drive your vehicle.
After washing the car, it is advisable that you take it out for a short 2-3km drive in order to get rid of any excess water in areas that are difficult to reach.
