Car care and why it matters
Car care and maintenance is the most important factor in ensuring a long and healthy life.
Some repairs to your car are inevitable as it ages due to regular wear and tear. However, with proper car care, many types of repairs can be minimized or even completely eliminated.
The exterior of your vehicle is exposed to numerous contaminants daily, such as insect debris, dust and chemicals from the road surface.
These contaminants can corrode your car's paintwork, and if you leave your car unwashed for an extended period of time, they will begin to break down the protective clear coat of the paintwork.
If left unchecked, these areas can become susceptible to both discoloration and corrosion.
By washing your car outside regularly, you stop these contaminants from building up on your car's paintwork, helping it stay free of stains and corrosion. Rust and corrosion are not as common a problem as they were in years past, but they can still affect your car, so it's important to keep your car's paintwork to a high standard.
Some car manufacturers offer additional rust protection on new vehicles and this is an option you can explore further.
Interior cleaning
It is also important to monitor the interior of the car and take care of it. Dust can contain sand and chemicals that can corrode car interior surfaces.
As with the exterior of your car, with regular cleaning, you can stop dust buildup, helping your car's interior stay in optimal condition.
Vacuuming the legroom and seats regularly will prevent dust build-up. Dust will also collect on areas such as the dashboard, but can be easily cleaned with hot water, detergent and a cloth.
If your vehicle has leather upholstery, make sure you treat the leather regularly to keep it in good condition.
Underbody cleaning and protection
It is also important to clean the underside of the car, as this is where most pollutants accumulate, mainly due to sand and salt on the road.
The underside of the car can easily be overlooked when cleaning, but it's important to remember to clean this area. There are a number of cleaning tools on the market to help you get the job done, such as nozzles that you can attach to a hose and slide under your car to clean the bottom.
There are also special cleaners for your car's underbody that help break down pollutants and grime. New vehicles come with a gasket applied to the underbody that will last for several months. There are a number of sealing products you can purchase and apply to the underside of your vehicle that can stop contaminants from building up.
Car underbody cleaning is not required as often as car body cleaning, but it is important to include it in your daily car care.
Cleaning the engine
Cleaning up your car engine may seem like a daunting thought, but with the right materials and preparation, it can be a worthwhile task.
By cleaning your engine regularly, you can ensure that grease and debris don't build up, which can lead to problems like corrosion, which in turn can lead to costly repair bills. There are a number of cleaners available to clean your engine, and it's important to make sure you fully understand how to prepare and clean your car's engine.
Your car's engine contains a number of components that water should not touch or be exposed to, so it's important that you take the time to fully understand how you should prepare and how you clean your engine.
All about car care
- Car care and why it matters
- How to wash a car engine
- How to wash your car
- How to polish your car
- What is a waterless car wash?
