4 Ways You Can Detail Your Vehicle To Make It Look More Attractive
Whether you’re a new car owner or someone who’s been rocking the same ride for years, detailing your car is a timeless practice to make it look glamorous. Whether you want to revamp your car entirely or add a few finishing touches, car detailing entails a world of options.
It can be as simple as washing your car or as complicated as going for a whole retrofit. Read on to find out how you can use car detailing to your advantage.
Clean By Hand
The best thing you can do for your car is wash it by hand. You’ll be amazed at how brand new it’ll look after you give it a proper wash if you do it correctly.
Car washing seems relatively simple, but when done incorrectly, it can cause damage to your paint. As a result, many people opt for the automatic car wash, which uses fresh, recycled water and soft foam brushes to remove dirt and contaminants.
If you clean your car yourself, do it a favor and avoid using dish soap. Dish soap can harm the paint and strip off wax coatings intended to protect it. Instead, use a car wash soap made for the types of contaminants that accumulate on a car. These will never harm your paint job.
Use a multi-bucket strategy while you’re at it. Instead of attempting to do everything with one bucket, use two – even three is preferable. For example, you can keep the soapy cleaning solution in one bucket while you use the second to rinse the microfiber washcloth after using it on the car. You can use the third bucket to clean the wheels.
Touch-Up Paint Chips
Finding a whitish speck on your shiny black hood can be infuriating, and seeing a lot of them can grind your gears like nothing else. Of course, paint chips can occur on vehicles of any color. Road pebbles and gravel pelt your paint job as you drive, creating small craters by chipping away the top coat and revealing the undercoat beneath. Giving your car a smooth finish is an important part of car detailing.
Automakers use primers that are extremely long-lasting and usually stay in place. In cases where you have chips in your paint, going the extra mile and touching them up makes a world of difference. You can usually find a color that closely matches your paint job at a dealership or auto parts store.
That said, keep in mind that a touch-up cannot replace a professional paint job. This is only in case of minor scratches. You should consider a whole new paint job if there are too many to count.
To get a smooth coat, don’t use the brush that comes in the bottle. Instead, opt for a pointy artist’s brush and try to be as precise as possible. Coloring in the lines will help you a great deal here! For maximum protection, cover with a clear coat.
Detail The Car’s Interior
You can spend a hefty sum of money on getting new covers for your seats, but you can also make your existing carpets and upholstery sparkle brand-new. A lot goes into car detailing, but it’s all worth it.
Expert opinions differ regarding where to begin when it comes to the interior. Some recommend beginning at the top, as with the exterior. Others suggest you remove heavy dirt and debris from the carpeting before treating the more sensitive skins on the dash and electronic displays. In any case, you’ll need to clean the carpet and upholstery eventually.
Using a shop vac, vacuum up the dirt in the floor mats and carpeting. While you’re at it, use a dry scrub brush to loosen the dirt. Automotive carpeting can hold a lot of dirt, which can take a while. If you have access to an air compressor, you can also use an air blow gun to loosen the dirt. Remember to pay close attention to the areas under the seats and crevices.
You will need the following materials to clean stains:
- Carpet and upholstery shampoo
- Clean water in a spray bottle
- Clean and dry rag towels
- Microfiber towels
Clean The Glass
When done incorrectly, cleaning the glass of your car windows and windscreen can worsen your car’s appearance. And, as simple as it may seem, cleaning it correctly isn’t easy.
For starters, use an automotive glass cleaner. Ammonia is commonly found in household glass cleaning products, which can cause streaks and fog, not to mention problems with glass tinting.
Instead of sponges or cotton towels, which can be too harsh on automotive surfaces, use a microfiber towel. Otherwise, newspapers have long been a household favorite when wiping the glass. However, be careful not to use ink-soaked paper, which can stain light-colored upholstery.
This step is best to leave at the end of your car detailing because when you’re working on other parts, liquids can splash on the glass, and you’ll be back to square one.
Spray the cleaner on a cloth to avoid over spraying on painted (or waxed) surfaces. Remember to roll down the glass window a little when cleaning it to get the top edge since this part usually has a layer of grime. While you’re at it, get some new wiper blades to keep your freshly washed windshield clean.
Conclusion
Car detailing is always in your (and your car’s) best interest. A simple wash and deep clean of the interior can make it look like you just bought it. It doesn’t benefit just your car’s aesthetics, either. Anything you do to care for your car will benefit you in the long run. Increasing your car’s lifespan and making it look beautiful is a two-for-one deal that you can achieve simply by paying attention to the details.
If you want to detail your car but aren’t sure where to start, don’t worry. We at Hyundai of Gadsden have a wide range of accessories you can detail your Hyundai interior and exterior with – and that’s in addition to our service specials.
Our team of experts can help you decide how to add that extra oomph to your car while ensuring it stays in top shape and performs optimally. So what are you waiting for? Head over to our website and contact us now.
