Tips On Cleaning Your Car Exterior

From Tip Sense

Jump to: navigation, search

Start

Note: When you add a new tip, please make sure that they go to correct section by looking at existing sections.

1 Car Exterior
2 Check List
3 Sources/Reference
4 Authors

[edit]

Car Exterior

[edit]

Clean on the cheap

A hose can run up the water bill pretty fast. Make sure you have a nozzle to turn it off. Or, better yet, just use a bucket.
Special soaps are expensive. If your car isn't anything special, you can probably get by with a pinch of laundry detergent.
Getting those windows streak free is a pain, but you can wipe them with a bit of damp newspaper until they're dry, and there won't be any streaks or scratches.

[edit]

Protect car paint from the sun

Of course, the best way to protect the paint is to park the car in a garage. If that is not possible, park in the shade or purchase a car cover. The sun's ultraviolet rays break down paint and cause it to fade. Some car covers protect your car from more than sun, moisture, bird droppings, and dust -- they also have a thin layer of cushioning that will guard against light impact, such as from a tipped bicycle or small falling tree branch. Be sure to get a good cover though. Cheap ones can actually trap moisture, or catch dust, making it easier to scratch, and rust the body.

[edit]

Protect car paint from the water

Have you seen those white spots on some cars? It comes from letting hard water cook onto the paint in the sun. be sure not to park where sprinklers will hit the car if your area has hard water.

[edit]

Touch up nicks sooner rather than later

Touch-up paint won't adhere well to rust. So be sure to keep some matching touch-up paint on hand so you can touch up any minor nicks, often found around door edges, before rust has a chance to form.

[edit]

Tape saves light covers

A cracked taillight or turn-signal cover, if left alone, may allow your light compartment to fill with water and cause some real damage. A good short-term fix is to tape over the crack. Use the red or orange tape that's made for this purpose.You can purchase it at many automotive parts stores.

[edit]

Avoid light fixture problems

When changing a bad bulb, clean dirty or corroded sockets with fine steel wool or a small wire brush.Wipe the socket clean of debris before installing the new light bulb.

[edit]

Fix small windshield chips

Got a rock chip, crack, or ding in your windshield? Bring your car to a windshield repair shop. For far less cost than replacing the windshield, they can fix chips and cracks, even quite long ones.

[edit]

Fill with washer fluid only

Don't add water to the windshield washer reservoir. It won't clean as well as washer fluid, and it may freeze in cold weather and damage the system. Don't try to run your windshield washer system once you suspect there's no more fluid in the tank, or you may damage the washer fluid pump.

[edit]

Wash in winter, too

If you rarely wash your car during messy winter weather, you are not alone.The cars you see on the road make it obvious that lots of folks figure,"Why bother? The car is going to look awful the next time I drive it."

[edit]

Wax to protect your car's paint job

Car wax preserves paint by slowing oxidation and forming a barrier against bird droppings, sap, and pollution.
Liquid and spray waxes are tempting to use -- they make the car shiny with less work than rubbing in paste wax. But there's still no beating paste wax for the hardest, longest-lasting finish. Look for paste with a high carnauba wax content.
Apply a thin, even coat of wax to the car's surfaces with a damp sponge. Avoid applying too much, or it will be difficult to remove and some residue will inevitably mar your finish.
To avoid fine scratches, use a clean, soft cotton or microfiber cloth to remove wax once it has dried.
Apply an extra coat of wax to the nose and hood. The wax film in these areas wears away quickly.

[edit]

Give your car a new skin

You can wash and wax these surfaces, just as you would the rest of the paint job. While it's best to have these films professionally installed, you can peel them off yourself. One product is made by 3M, and you can learn more by going to 3m.com and searching for Scotchgard Paint Protection Film Solutions.

[edit]

Don't let tools mar your car's finish

If you plan to service and make repairs to your car, invest in a fender cover. It drapes over your fender, providing a safe place to rest your tools without causing scratches. It will also prevent your belt buckle from marring your paint as you lean into the engine compartment to work.

[edit]

Use wheel cleaner

Your car's wheels are down there on the road, taking the brunt of road dirt. Add in the dust that wears off your brake pads and you've got a formula for stains that are tough to remove when you wash your vehicle. Car-washing liquid won't do the job.You need a wheel cleaner specifically formulated to remove such stains.

[edit]

Lube your lug nuts

Lug nuts, if not lubricated occasionally, can seize or "freeze" to the studs due to corrosion. Repairing them can be expensive.

[edit]

Hang on to your hubcaps

Hubcaps, wheel covers, and center caps can pop off your car's wheels as you're driving if they were not reinstalled correctly, have loosened over time, or if they were damaged by being jammed against a curb while parking. Here are some things you can do to keep these expensive parts on the car.
If your older metal hubcap has loosened, remove it and pry the metal clips outward slightly. This should fix the problem.
Newer plastic-type hubcaps and some wheel covers are usually held in place by a retaining wire ring that snaps into tabs on the wheel. When installing such a cap or cover, take care that you do not bend or break the tabs.

[edit]