Now that we have gotten a taste of the spring weather, we should start thinking about cleanin up that ride. Whether you have a truck, a scoot, a hot rod, and/or that everyday driver, old man winter can be harsh on her.
That ride needs more than a quick trip through the local car wash. It needs a deep clean to get out that mud, grit, and SALT. That road salt thrown on the roads to keep them from freezing is harsh on those metallic rides. It will eat pits in the finish and then that metal underbody starts to rust. You can stop all of that early!
Go ahead and go to the car wash but don’t stop there. Invest in a heavy-duty degreaser…something like Mean Green or Purple Power. Buy that economy size bottle and get a squirt bottle (you’ll thank me later!). While you are on that shopping spree, get a good carnauba wax, and some microfiber towels. Oh yeah, get some upholstery cleaner too…don’t forget about the inside.
Now that you have your supplies time to get dirty and clean. Start with the engine compartment. Spray it down with your degreaser. Don’t be afraid to be liberal with the degreaser. Let it stand for 10 minutes and then spray it down with water. You can either do this at the car wash or do it at home. Just use the “jet” nozzle feature on your spray nozzle. Don’t be afraid of the water interfering with anything under the hood. It’s not like your engine is going to get flooded as it would in a pool. A little water never hurt anything.
Now I’m not going to tell you how to wash your vehicle. I’m hoping you have that much under control. I do want to bring to your attention the condition of your “undercarriage”, as Daisy Duke would call it. That’s all the nooks and crannies under the vehicle body between the wheels from the engine compartment to the tailpipe. Spray whatever you can down with more degreaser, let that set for 10 minutes, and hit it hard with the jet nozzle. Just watch the grime and salt wash away. I like to keep the water to it until the runoff is clear.
Again I’m not going to tell you how to wax your car. It does need that protective coat on the paint after the hard winter months. It wants that shine back too! I do recommend using the microfiber towels to apply and remove the wax. The extra surface area provided by all those fibers makes all that elbow grease pay off. They provide a little extra buffing power!
Now for the inside (I hate cleaning the inside, but it needs to be done). I suggest you use a shop-vac and clean the nozzle with some soap and water first. After giving the seats and the carpet a good vacuum cleaning, it’s time to apply the upholstery cleaner. Do this in stages as you would waxing the paint. Spray an area with the upholstery cleaner and let it set a few minutes. Take your shop-vac and go over the same area where the cleaner has raised the dirt and crumbs from the upholstery.
You still have the windows, wheels, tires, mirrors, and chrome to go, but I’m guessing you can figure those out. Those micro-fiber towels and degreaser are becoming your best friends. All of these same tips apply to your hog or crotch rocket too.
Now the most important part… Grab a lawn chair and a beer. Sit back, have a cold one, and enjoy your hard work. Watch that baby shine and you might be able to hear her say “Thank you!”