Why you should wash and wax your car this spring
With winter over, spring here, and summer on the way, you’ll want to clean your car of winter grime. Even though it’s a nice warm spring day and the water in the hose is flowing, it’s a great time to wash and wax your truck or car both as part of a good, solid clean and for added protection from the elements.
It’s true, and not just your local car wash, that sunlight and hot weather can damage your vehicle’s finish. Ultraviolet light can and will cause “rusting,” that is, a chemical breakdown in paint pigment and pigments that can undoubtedly diminish the visual appearance, appeal, and ultimately the resale values of your car by giving the surface of the paint finish an overall dull and chalky appearance. Also, “crazing,” which is a maze of hairline cracks, can appear on metal or refinished surfaces. Cracking usually appears after very hot summer days, when the paint shrinks under very strong sun. Lastly, don’t discard your friends in the air. Common bird droppings can permanently stain and mar your car’s paint if not cleaned up right away. As you drive by the local car dealerships and see their guys washing cars, it’s all for good choice and reasons. Remove dirt and birds as soon as possible to protect and preserve bright paint finishes.
A complete wash and wax treatment will serve to not only improve the appearance of your car or truck, but will also protect it from the sun’s harmful rays and sunlight. First park your vehicle in a shaded area. Next, be very careful to use lots and lots of water from a house or even a bucket. After all, it’s not like you’re in a drought or the Sahara desert. Use a car wash detergent or alternatively, if not available, a mild detergent if your car is particularly dirty or has a healthy dose of Manitoba winter grime. Be careful as anything stronger can damage any car’s delicate finish. Wipe clean with a towel or sponge, then rinse well. Next in line is spraying the underside and underbody as well as the inside of the wheels and wheel wells with a good strong stream of water to loosen any dirt, map or sand trapped underneath. of the chassis.
To remove hardened tar bits or bug and bird marks, you can use commercial cleaners made especially for this purpose. These special car cleaning agents have generally been approved by the car manufacturers themselves for this very purpose.
Alternatively, if you don’t have access to such products on site, or if your budget limits you, you can simply hold a cloth soaked in standard cooking oil over the spot until the blemish disappears.
Last in line and lastly you can stand back, admire your fine work and results and give the surface of your truck, because o Sport Utility SUV one last set of wipes with a clean dry cloth or better yet, with a car chamois.