You probably spend a lot of time in your car, commuting to and from work, running errands around town and going on road trips. Over time, it’s reasonable to expect your car will not maintain the same attractive shimmer it had when you first saw it at the dealership.
However, there are some steps you can take to maximize the quality of your vehicle’s appearance even when you’re regularly using it.
Here’s some advice for keeping your car looking great for years to come.
How often should I wash my car?
One of the simplest detailing tasks you can perform is washing your car regularly. If you tend to have a lot of bird droppings, tree sap or bugs on your vehicle, or if you spend a lot of time parked outside, you should aim to wash your vehicle weekly.
You can stretch that time frame out a little more if you don’t drive a lot and keep your vehicle in a garage. But no matter your level of usage, you should at least wash the vehicle once a month.
How frequently should I wax my vehicle?
Vehicles should also be waxed once every three months on average to protect the paint job from the elements and guard against potential sources of contamination or irritation that could cause minor damage to the paint. By keeping your vehicle waxed, you also make it easier to wash.
If you drop some water on your vehicle and it doesn’t bead up, that means it’s time for you to wax the vehicle.
How often should I detail my car?
Detailing is the process of cleaning and restoring your vehicle to as close to a new condition as possible. Detailing involves both interior and exterior cleaning on a much deeper level than basic washes or waxes.
Experts generally recommend a full detail twice a year. This includes processes such as polishing, claying, sealing, leather conditioning and more. You can get a refresher detail, which is a bit less thorough, every three months or so.
Conditioning leather seats is important for allowing that leather to last longer without cracking or deteriorating in condition. Consider how frequently you have passengers, whether it’s the vehicle you drive every day, if you have children or pets and if the leather seats see a lot of exposure to sunlight. The more risk factors you have, the more often you’ll need to condition the leather.
The general recommendation is every three months for leather conditioning, but you may be able to stretch that to every six months.
There are other types of cleaning you should perform fairly regularly, such as cleaning out the engine bay, washing the wheels and tires, vacuuming the interior (try to do this every time you wash the car) and more. But this gives you at least a general idea of the steps you can take to keep your vehicle looking like new for as long as possible.
For more information about car cleaning and detailing, contact the team at Crystal Clear Detail today.