Your Car’s Ultimate Summer

The warm weather, long days, and scenic drives of summer make it the favourite time of year for DIY auto maintenance. This is one reason why we always get tons of questions about how to properly clean and detail your car at home, between major details at our shop.

Here is a get-started list for your summer maintenance routine, including a few things you NEED to do and a few things you should NEVER do. Take a look, and never hesitate to reach out to us with any questions you may have.

Pressure Wash With Extreme Caution

Everyone loves the feeling of pressure washing a sidewalk or deck, and watching years of build-up and abuse vanish before your eyes. As pressure washers start to come out of garages in the summer, many people aim the nozzles at their vehicles.

We recommend extreme caution if you choose to use a pressure washer on your vehicle. Not only can improper use cause aesthetic marring by stripping away paint, forcing water into areas it shouldn’t be, and ripping off trim, but you can also damage tire sidewalls, leaving you more likely to experience a blowout.

If you choose to pressure wash, do so from a safe distance.

Never Wash a Car with Dish Soap

Although the popular brands of dish soap are gentle enough to be used on baby birds, like in the advertisements, they are powerful enough to do serious damage to your vehicle’s paint. Keep the dish soap in the kitchen, and only use a specially formulated car shampoo for your vehicle.

Immediately Remove Bird Droppings

This goes with any chemical damage (bird droppings, bug splatter, tree sap, etc), but if you notice bird droppings on your car, wipe it off as soon as you can. These compounds will etch your paint more quickly than you can believe, so you want to get rid of them ASAP.

If you really care about your car’s paint, consider getting a ceramic coating. They are the best way to protect your entire vehicle from chemical damage and more. Read about ceramic coatings here.

Wax in the Shade, Not the Sun

If you are waxing your car at home, make sure you apply it in the shade. Direct sun will bake the wax on before you get a chance to buff it off, and you’ll end up using way more wax than you need. Wax and buff one panel at a time, and do it in the shade.

Avoid Rotary Buffers

Are you a professional detailer? If not, it’s probably best to leave professional tools to the pros. Rotary buffers can quickly polish off far more paint than you intended, leaving you with a nasty and expensive repair. It’s easy to get professional quality results – just bring your vehicle to the pros.