We all know that after a long hard winter it just feels good to spring clean. Weather it's your home or your car this is a necessary process in getting ready for the next season and ridding yourself of the dirt of winter. With a car you have the salt build up outside the car and lots of dirt and debris on your carpets. But why stop there? Why not just clean the whole thing and start the season feeling like you did when you first bought the car? Plus, if you spot any minor mechanical issues NOW, you can bring your car to us to fix before they become a massive bill that eats all of your paycheck and half your tax return! Here is a great article we found to help you start the cleaning process and be sure that you keep an eye out for any possible mechanical issues so that we can get to fixing them ASAP!
Spring is fast approaching and with it comes the need to start cleaning after a long and dirty winter. And few things need a good scrub as much as your car. Vehicles go through a punishing time during winter—snow, ice, salt, sand, dirt, slush and gravel all conspire to leave cars filthy inside and out. From the exterior body of the car to the floor mats, every nook and cranny of a vehicle needs a good cleaning come spring. Even if you don’t live in a snowy part of the world, your vehicle will appreciate these 10 tips for spring cleaning your car and getting it to look good again after the dark days of winter. .jpg)
10. Clean Under the Cloth Floor Mats
The easy and obvious thing is to hose off the rubber floor mats in a vehicle. Many people also vacuum and clean the cloth mats that rest under the rubber mats. But very few people take the time to lift up the cloth floor mats and clean underneath them. This is a shame, because under the cloth floor mats is where a lot of salt, dirt and gravel collects. If you’ve never lifted up the cloth floor mats in your car before, give it a try. You’ll be shocked and surprised by what you discover under there. It is important to clean under the cloth mats as the salt and bits of gravel that collect there can eventually work through the mat and corrode the body of the vehicle. Clean under the cloth mats and you’ll be doing yourself a huge favor.
9. Wash the Headlights and Taillights
Few things on a car get as dirty during the winter as the headlights and taillights. Come spring, the headlights and taillights on most vehicles are pretty filthy and foggy. Yet, most motorists pay little attention to them. As long as the lights are on and a bulb isn’t burnt out, we don’t worry about them. Yet headlights and taillights are extremely important in terms of visibility at night, and for safety. Taking a warm, damp cloth and giving the headlights on the front of the car and the taillights on the back a wipe in spring can do wonders. The range of the light coming from your car will improve, and so will your vehicle’s visibility. Other motorists and pedestrians will be able to see you coming from a distance, and you will be able to see them better too. Washing the headlights and taillights is a simple thing that can pay big dividends.
8. Remove the Winter Tires
This might seem like a no-brainer, but plenty of people leave the winter tires on their car all year long. Kind of like people who never take down the Christmas lights on their house. But it can be extremely dangerous to drive on winter tires in the spring and summer. The tread on the winter tires will wear down quickly and make the tires practically useless when winter rolls around again. Also, winter tires do not grip the roads well when they are dry and clear of snow and ice. Taking the tires off yourself or having them taken off and stored at a garage is a good idea. It is always best to use all-season tires in the spring and summer months when pavement and asphalt are hot and tires are susceptible to melting.
7. Clean Out the Trunk
A lot of stuff can accumulate in the trunk of a vehicle during the winter. From ice scrapers and snow brushes to empty windshield washer fluid bottles and old blankets, there can be a ton of crap in the trunk of a car when the grass turns green. Best to clear all this stuff out. Recycle the empty plastic windshield washer bottles, put the ice scraper in the basement and wash that old blanket. Make room for new things in the trunk, like picnic baskets, folding lawn chairs and beach umbrellas. But be sure and give the trunk a good vacuum as part of this transition. Trunks attract their fair share of salt, dirt and other debris. Keeping this seldom seen area of the car clean is important too.
6. Check Under the Seats
If there’s a general theme to cleaning a car, it’s to look in hard to see areas. And this definitely includes underneath the seats. From loose change and sippy cups, to kids’ mittens and old coffee cups, people are always amazed at the things they find underneath the seats in their vehicle. Under the seats is also where a lot of dried salt and dirt lives. Stuffing a vacuum hose under there is a great idea and will help to get a lot of unwanted stuff out of the car. And be sure to move the seat forward and backwards as far as it will go when cleaning under it. This will give you the best exposure to what is lurking under there.
5. Wax the Car’s Exterior
It’s good to wash the exterior of a car and get the corrosive salt off the body. But it is also advisable to wax the exterior of a car. We’re not advocating that people always wax the outside of their car. But doing it once or twice a year—particularly in spring—is a good idea. Wax, after all, has many benefits. It seals the paint, adds a shiny coat, and repels water beads—getting rid of problematic water spots in the process. If you take your car to a professional car wash rather than clean it yourself, select a wash option that includes a wax spray or coating at the end. This can help your car as much as the soap and water that’s used to clean it. Of course, you can always find wax at your local hardware store or automotive garage and apply it yourself.
For the rest of this article please go to goliath.com and don't forget to schedule a spring servicing with us soon!