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Buying a new car is a great feeling. The smell of fresh

leather as you The fresh smell of leather as you enter the

car. The paintwork is gleaming and waxy smooth. You might

even catch yourself stealing a glance at the reflection of

your pride and joy as you drive it out your house.

Skip ahead by 12 months and see how your car looks now. Is

it still gleaming new or does the paintwork look tired, dull

and “old”? How can some cars look brand new even though they

are already 3 years old? Why do others look “old” when it

just rolled out the showroom 12 months ago?

The secret is in how you care for your car. It is easy to

keep your car like new if you know how.

1) A Wash A Week Keeps Your Car Clean & Slick

Much as you wish that your car will remain clean by itself,

it just won’t happen. Dust will accumulate even if you just

keep it in your garage. There’s only one thing to do. Wash

your car! It’s very important that you wash your car

especially after you’ve driven in the rain. If you let the

water droplets dry naturally, especially under the hot sun,

there will be tough-to-remove watermark stains on your

paintwork.

The first thing you need to wash your car is a clean and

soft terry cloth. Alternatively, you can use cloth diapers

as well. You can get these easily at the baby’s section in

your local departmental store. They’re cheap and it works.

Of course, if you want to be posh, then get the Ultimate

Wipe cloth from Meguiar’s

([http://www.fdcars.com/newsletter/n2-1.htm]). You’ll need a

good car shampoo next. I personally use Meguiar’s NXT

Generation Car Wash

([http://www.fdcars.com/newsletter/n2-2.htm]). It’s reasonably

priced and a 64oz bottle will last you quite a while.

Start off by hosing down your car to remove any dirt, mud or

grime. Then mix 3 caps-full of shampoo with around 20oz (a

small bucket) of water. Apply the shampoo mixture to your

car using the cloth/diaper. Hose off the shampoo once you’ve

finished shampooing the car. Use your cloth under running

water to wipe off any remaining shampoo residue. It is VERY

important that you wipe your car dry with another clean

terry cloth/diaper. Make sure your entire car is wiped dry.

Next, clean your rims. Brake dust normally accumulates there

and cleaning it will make a huge difference in how your car

looks. It’s pointless to have clean paintwork you’re your

rims are dirty. It’s also advisable to vacuum the inside of

your car every week or every other week. You spend your time

inside the car, so cleaning the interior just makes sense.

2) A Monthly Wax Keeps The Shine To The Max

Waxing your car will keep your paintwork gleaming new. You

can either send it to an auto detailer or do it yourself.

It’s actually not that difficult to wax your car. If you

have an hour or so of spare time, then try waxing your car

yourself.

It’s important that you wash and wipe dry your car before

waxing. NEVER wax your car before washing/drying it! It’s

best to park your car under in a shady area when waxing. It

makes sense to use a good carnauba wax like Meguiar’s NXT

Generation Tech Wax

([http://www.fdcars.com/newsletter/n2-3.htm]). Use the

included sponge and apply the wax in a small circular

motion. Wax your car one section at a time, remembering

which section you started with. Finish applying wax on the

entire car.

Wipe off the excess wax using a soft terry cloth/cloth

diaper. Start with the first panel that you applied the wax

and continue from there. You’ll find the wax residue

accumulating on your cloth. Shake it off periodically and

continue to remove excess wax until you’ve finished all

panels.

Look carefully and check for remaining wax residue. Use your

cloth to clean any remaining residue.

To prepare your cloth for your next wax, wash it with a

liquid softener. It’s fine to use the liquid softener that

you use for your clothes. This guarantees there isn’t any

remaining dirt/grime that may scratch your car during your

next waxing session.

3) Wax Your Tyre Next O’ Sire

For that shiny, wet look, wax your tyres after every

wash/wax. Use Meguiar’s Hot Shine High Gloss Tyre Spray

([http://www.fdcars.com/newsletter/n2-4.htm]). The trigger

spray makes it easy to apply. You literally need less than 5

minutes for this but applying tyre spray/wax makes a big

difference.

4) Condition That Leather To Help It Fight The Weather

Make sure you clean and condition your leather seats at

least once every 2 months if you car comes with leather

seats. Use Meguiar’s Medallion Premium Leather Care

conditioner ([http://www.fdcars.com/newsletter/n2-5.htm]).

Apply the conditioner with a clean cloth/cloth diaper, leave

for 15 minutes and wipe off excess conditioner. Your leather

will look and smell like new if you do this every month.

While you’re at it, clean any vinyl surface of your car

using Meguiar’s Vinyl & Leather Cleaner/Conditioner

([http://www.fdcars.com/newsletter/n2-6.htm]). This

maintains the interior looking like new.

5) Your Car’s Now Shiny So You Can Be Happy

Your car will look like it’s brand new if you follow this

routine. An hour or so every week pays huge dividends.

Friends and family will think you’ve just bought a new car

even though it’s 3 years old. The best thing is when it

comes time to sell your car. A car with gleaming new

paintwork and a clean interior makes a strong impression and

will automatically raise the selling price of your car!

P.S. The writer does not work for Meguiar’s and only

recommends the products as a satisfied customer.

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Fantic Carro is the owner of FD Cars [http://www.fdcars.com] which is a resource for

car lovers worldwide. For more articles, reviews and tips on

cars, please visit his site below:

[http://www.fdcars.com]

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