New Year’s Resolutions – Good Car Care Habits

A brand New Year is just around the corner. So, in this week’s blog, I thought it’d be a good idea to list some good car care habits. Work on these New Year’s resolutions to keep your car looking its best throughout 2020 and beyond.

Five Car Care New Year’s Resolutions:

Resolve to be precious about your paintwork:

Be mindful about where you touch your car when you open and close the doors, boot and bonnet. This is especially important over the winter months when there’s a lot of salt and grit on the paintwork. These contaminants could be ground into the paint if you were to pull the boot closed via the painted part of the boot lid rather than using the pull handle on the inside. If you need to push the lid shut then just push it via the number plate. By adopting these good habits, you’re not making contact with the paint and grinding in the dirt, which can lead to marring and scratches. The same goes for doors. Be sure to close them by pushing on the handle rather than the paint. Finally, for the bonnet be mindful of not moving your hands across the paint. Very carefully drop it down onto the latch when it’s about a foot away from the latch.

Resolve to wash more frequently:

The longer you leave your car dirty, and the more wetting and drying cycles the dirt goes through, the more the grime will bond and stick to the paintwork. Left too long, some of the dirt will become strongly bonded. If you feel a rough sand-like feeling on the paint even after a wash, it’s likely that contaminants are embedded in the clear coat. We can help with a full decontamination if this is the case.

We recommend you wash your car at least every two weeks for a daily driver or more frequently if you see a film of dirt on it. This will keep your vehicle and any protection on it, whether that be a sealant, wax, ceramic coating or PPF (Paint Protection Film), in the best possible condition

Resolve to tap before you step in:

A handy little car care habit to develop is to tap your feet together before you step into your car. This simple resolution will keep your floor mats cleaner for longer. You’ll seriously reduce the loose bits of mud and grit and the amount of dirt you take into the car.

Resolve to love lubricants:

A common sight at car shows is people dry wiping their paintwork to remove dust and dirt. The problem is that this can, and in most cases, will scratch the paintwork. The main rule is to have some sort of lubrication between the paint and the material contacting it. This can take the form or spray wax, water, snow foam or car shampoo. By using a lubricant, you will reduce the risk of inflicting swirls and scratches into the paintwork. Water and good car shampoo will provide the most lubrication. The shampoo lifts and dissolves the dirt so it can be safely carried away by the water. While spray waxes are great for removing fingerprints and smudges, they simply don’t provide enough lubrication to safely remove dirt particles like dust and sand.

Resolve to wipe your wipers:

Finally, a beneficial car care habit to develop is to clean your wiper blades after every wash. This simple action will ensure you get the best possible visibility and performance without streaks or juddering. Simply spray some glass cleaner onto a microfibre towel and run it up and down the wiper blades until it shows no more dirt.

The ultimate car care New Year’s Resolution is undoubtedly to resolve to visit a car detailing company! Drop us an email or give us a call to find out more about what we do.