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How
To Keep Your Older Vehicle Gleaming Like It's Brand New.
It’s a great
feeling to buy a new car. Everything’s gleaming new and
the smell of fresh leather lingers as you drive. You
even catch yourself constantly stealing glances at the
reflection of your shiny new car.
How about 12
months later? Does your car still look new or does it
look dull, tired and old? How can some people keep
their cars gleaming new while others look old 12 months
out of the showroom?
The trick lies
in how you care for your car. It is easy if you know
how.
1) Wash Your Car
Every Week
Dust and dirt
will accumulate on your car’s paintwork. Nothing much
you can do to prevent it. The only answer is to wash it!
This is especially true if your car was exposed to rain.
If you leave it to dry under the sun, it will leave
watermark stains on your paintwork. These are very tough
to remove later.
To wash your
car, get a clean & soft terry cloth or use a cloth
diaper. You can easily pick it up at the baby’s section
in your favorite departmental store. If you want
something fancier, then get Meguiar’s Ultimate Wipe
cloth.
Apart from cloth, you’ll need a quality car shampoo. I
use Meguiar’s NXT Generation Car Wash.
It’s cheap and will last you quite some time.
First, hose off
any dirt, mud or grime from your car. Then mix 3
caps-full of shampoo with a small bucket (20 oz) of
water. Use your cloth to apply it to your car. It’s best
to use circular motions. Wash off the shampoo with a
clean cloth/cloth diaper under running water. Once
you’ve cleaned off all shampoo residue, wipe dry your
car with a new cloth/diaper, making sure all panels are
wiped completely dry.
Since brake dust
accumulates on your rims, clean it with some shampoo as
well. Since you’d normally spend more time inside your
car than admiring the paintwork, it makes sense to
vacuum your car interior when you wash your car.
2) Wax Your Car
Every Month
You can either
send your car to an auto detailer for waxing or take the
DIY route. If you have an hour or two to spend, then try
waxing it yourself. It’s really not that difficult.
Make sure you
wash and dry your car before waxing. It’s best for you
and your car if you park it somewhere shady while waxing
it. Use a quality carnauba wax like Meguiar’s NXT
Generation Tech Wax.
Apply the wax in a circular motion onto your car with
the included sponge. Apply the wax on one section at a
time, remembering the sequence. Finish applying it on
the entire car.
Then, use a dry
soft terry cloth/cloth diaper to wipe off the extra wax.
Begin with the first panel you worked on and go on from
there. Make sure you shake off any excess wax that
accumulates on your cloth. It’s easier to wipe off wax
when your cloth isn’t itself caked with wax. Finish
wiping the entire car.
Check for any
remaining wax residue and clean it off.
Make sure to
wash your cloth with liquid softener to prepare it for
your next use. This ensures there isn’t any remaining
dirt that might scratch your car the next time you use
the cloth to wax it.
3) Apply Tyre/Tire
Polish To Complete The Look
Spray your tyres
with Meguiar’s Hot Shine High Gloss Tyre Spray to complete that shiny, wet look. It’s easy to apply
with the trigger spray and you’ll can do it in less than
5 minutes. Having shiny tyres really makes your car look
newer.
4) Apply Leather
Conditioner To Protect It
If your car
comes with leather seats, make sure you clean and
condition it at least every other month. Meguiar’s
Medallion Premium Leather Care conditioner
will do the job. Wipe the cleaner/conditioner onto your
leather seats with a clean terry cloth/diaper. Leave for
15 minutes before wiping off any extra residue. This
helps to keep your leather supple and smelling like new
For your vinyl
surfaces (dashboard, door interiors, etc), do the same
thing but use Meguiar’s Vinyl & Leather
Cleaner/Conditioner
instead. Your interior will remain looking brand new.
5) Show Off Your
Nice & Shiny Car
Your car will
continue to look brand new if you follow this routine.
Your friends and family will admire your "new car" even
though it’s 3 years old. The best thing? You’ll fetch
higher prices when you sell your car next time. With
it’s gleaming paintwork and spotless interior, you won’t
have any trouble getting a buyer for your car.
P.S. The writer
is not affiliated with Meguiar’s. He is just a satisfied
customer.
**********************************************************
Fantic Carro is the founder 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
**********************************************************
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www.ValuableContent.com
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