7 Car Valeting Suggestions

Do you drive about in style or in a sty? Do you take care of your vehicle or are you going to wait for it to fall apart and then buy a new one? Of course it is your car, you do what you like but a clean car is safer than a filthy one.

If you have soda cans and empty crisp packets rolling around the floor, they could interfere with your feet. If you do not keep the outer surface clean, rust will set in and your car will become less structurally safe - less able to withstand a collision.

So here are seven tips to help you valet your car. They might not all be life-savers, but they should all relieve some frustration and make your driving experience a little more enjoyable.

1] Keep your windows spotless and clear. You need as much forward, rear and peripheral vision as you can. Remove anything dangling from the rear view mirror and swap big speakers on the rear shelf for low, flat ones.

Remove all stickers from the windows particularly the dopey one that says: 'Drive Safely - Baby On Board'. No one is going to drive more carefully because you have a baby with you, that is your job!

2] If your antenna sticks, it is better to rub it with graphite powder than to squirt WD40 into it. The oil will only leak out and what stays will soon have dust sticking to it, which will cause it to stick more.

3] You will get better results while cleaning, waxing or polishing, if you spray the liquid onto your cloth rather than onto the car. Spraying directly onto the car creates puddles in some patches which usually result in smears and plenty of extra rubbing, meanwhile coarse dust can be getting stuck on this surplus and the motion of your cleaning might cause scratches. You also lose less spray to the wind.

4] When cleaning the glass, wipe up and down on one side of the glass and side-to-side on the other so that you can see where the smears are. It could save you half the work.

5] Clean bird droppings from your car as soon as possible. This is because they are very acidic and will attack your paintwork each time they are wet. Never park under a tree because of this and because the rain dripping through the tree, especially in warm weather, will bring sap or oil from the tree and it is fairly difficult to remove when it is dry.

6] Whilst cleaning the exterior with a bucket of soapy water, begin on the roof, the bonnet and the boot; change the water and do one side of the car, change the water and do the other. Never throw the residue dirty water in the bucket over the car or its wheels. This water is filthy, but you often see people do it.

7] Wash the engine from time to time. You will be glad you did if ever you have to get under the bonnet. The same goes for the spare wheel and stash an old pair of gloves in the wheel well for if you have to change a wheel.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many topics, but is at present involved with auto interior detailing. If you want some tips on detailing cars go over to our site now at Detailing Car Interiors.