Ask Joe Mechanic - Exterior Vehicle Maintenance

Last week we covered the things we should do to our vehicles to get them cleaned up from this brutal winter. In addition to the basic tips given last week, there is more you can do to help clean, protect and prolong the appearance of your vehicle. I will mention a few product names in this column, this is not a recommendation for you to purchase these products, only a statement that I personally have had good results from them. There are many fine car care products on the market and everyone has their own personal preferences. The only thing that I definitely recommend is that you research and purchase a quality product, as often buying a cheaper product may not yield the same results and could even adversely affect the finish on your vehicle.

            TIRES - it is always a good idea at the change of seasons to put a little extra work into cleaning up your tires with a good tire and whitewall cleaner. After cleaning, a good application of a tire protectant/tire shine does much to help renew the rubber and improve the appearance of your tires.

            WHEELS - it is recommended to thoroughly clean your wheels, especially if you have alloy wheels. Brake dust is very abrasive and corrosive, and can completely ruin the finish of expensive alloy wheels. There are quality wheel cleaning products on the market such as Wheel Brite, which do an effective job under normal conditions. If you wheels are extremely coated with brake dust of other corrosives, it may be necessary to seek out a professional detailer to have them use an industrial strength wheel acid.

            WINDOWS AND WIPERS - clean your windows and your wiper blades with an ammonia-based window cleaner.  Cleaning the wiper blades also removes any salt residue from the blades and will help to keep them soft and pliant. After a thorough cleaning, an application of a product such as RainX will really help your visibility in wet weather.  It appears we are going to see a lot of rain this spring!

            PAINT- after a through washing, on a nice afternoon, find a shady spot and give your car a coating of a quality wax. My personal preference is Meguiars products, however use whatever brand you prefer, but be sure it is a product suited for the type finish on your vehicle. I like to use a carnauba-based wax, but there are many types available. I recommend apply the wax in the shade for a few reasons. First of all, it slows the drying process of the wax.  Wax will set up very quickly on a hot paint finish, and a dark car on a hot sunny day can become very hot. Also, doing a wax job and buffing it out properly requires some serious physical effort.  If you are like me, I can spend a couple hours doing this so being in the shade is also for your own comfort. And, make sure you have some of your favorite beverage of choice so you do not dehydrate while you work.

           

If you complete these car care tasks on a semi-annual basis, you will add years to your vehicle’s good looks.

Ask Joe Mechanic - Cleaning up after Winter

We all know how much we have hated this winter and how we cannot wait for it to finally end.   Hopefully we have seen its last this past weekend!   Well, if our vehicles could talk, they would also tell us they are ready for spring.

            As this winter was much harsher than most, our vehicles have been exposed to many more chemicals than normal. Road salt and cinders (anti-skid) materials can collect in every nook and cranny.  Salt brine that is used to pre-treat roads can be very corrosive if not washed off. And, what you track inside your car on your shoes and boots can be just as damaging to your car’s interior. This is a general winter clean-up column, with more extensive information coming over the next two weeks.

            I personally am not a fan of drive thru car washes, but I realize that some people are not physically able to do the work themselves and others just find it hard to set aside the time required to do a good winter clean up. When I make my spring visit to the car wash, I like to pick a dreary day so that it is not so crowded, as to not aggravate people when taking a half hour or so to clean my car. 

            Things to take along with you are a bucket and sponge, a brush for cleaning the wheels, a large trash bag or two (explained later), a bottle of wheel cleaner, a couple of old rags, and any other personal preference items that you would want to use. When I arrive, the first thing I do is go to the vacuum, and remove all the floor mats and trunk mat (if equipped), move all the seats either forward or back and open the trunk. Then start the vacuum and thoroughly vacuum the trunk and all floor areas that are within reach, being careful to get down along the seats and console, also vacuum the seats. Sliding the seats the opposite way and finish vacuuming, I make sure to get under the seat areas. At this point, I recommend that you throw your mats in the trunk and pull in the wash bay.

           

Now is a good time to apply the wheel cleaner to your wheels, being careful to follow the instructions to remove wheel center caps if it says that it can damage plastic. While your wheels are soaking, take your floor mats out and use the pressure washer to thoroughly wash your mats. Set them aside, rinse your wheels according to instructions and then set to high-pressure wash. Kneel down on each side of the car and thoroughly spray the underside of your vehicle. This will dilute and remove the effects of the salt brine. After that, take the pressure wand and go thoroughly around the inside of each wheel opening to wash out any trapped salt and cinders. Turn the selector to rinse and wash all the areas that you just went over. You are now ready to do your normal wash of the exterior of your vehicle. Once you have done this, take those wet floor mats, put them into the trash bags and take them home to lie out on your porch to dry before reinstalling them.