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Sifting through the winter grime and grunge can wreak havoc on your car’s exterior. And now that it’s spring, you’ll want to bring your car out from hibernation, removing all that dirt and grime.
Jeff Jeppesen of Classy Cars Detailing offers some helpful tips to, once again, make your car sparkle this spring. Originally an aerospace machinist and a father who raced cars, Jeppesen, since a young age, has been working on machines and cars for over 40 years.
It’s no surprise Jeppesen starts by rinsing his vehicles thoroughly to remove the dirt and grime. What may come as a surprise is that he does not recommend using regular tap water.
“To start, we always recommend using deionized water versus regular tap water,” says Jeppesen. “You want to wash your car using water that doesn’t contain alkaline, chlorine, or other minerals, this allows the wax to last longer.”
Jeppesen offered the following tips for removing winter grime this spring:
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Start with surface cleaning. Deionized water removes the potential for minerals to form scales or deposits on your car’s surface and can reveal a residue-free finish.
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Get rid of sticky substances. If your vehicle has been sitting under trees this past winter, some sticky contaminants may require bug and tar remover formulated for vehicle surfaces. The solution works for sap as well.
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Remove embedded contaminants. Jeppesen also says to use a clay bar on your vehicle after washing.
Clay bars are synthetic materials about the size and shape of a bar of soap. They are formulated specifically for automobile surfaces to remove embedded contaminants that create a rough feeling to painted surfaces.
“Use the back of your hand and if it feels rough it needs to be clayed. This step gives your car a good base when you want to polish or wax your car.”
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For vehicle surface protection and sparkle this spring, Jeppesen recommends using ceramic or synthetic wax. Ceramic products have become popular because they give your vehicle the longest-lasting shine.
Traditional carnauba waxes are also safe and effective at providing a showroom shine. Either way, a coat of wax will help prevent damage to vehicle surfaces caused by outside contaminants.
“When waxing your car or removing a wax coating, keep a microfiber towel folded in a square shape to flip around easily. This helps eliminate markings and scratching.
Fold your microfiber towel into a quartered square shape so you can flip from dirty to clean sides quickly.
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Looking for extra spring sparkle? Be sure to attend to your vehicle’s chrome parts. Jeppesen recommends using a chrome cleaner and always recommends using wax afterward for extra protection.
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Consider cleaning your wheels about twice a month, or as often as you wash your car’s exterior. Start with a thorough rinse to remove loose dirt and brake dust. This will help prevent scratching when you start scrubbing. Use a specific cleaning spray for automobile wheels to loosen and remove bonded contaminants. And similar to the body of your car, use a protectant wheel wax to keep contaminants from bonding to the wheels.
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For a well-dressed tire, Jeppesen uses tire cleaner and a tire protectant to preserve the rubber. Paying attention to tires gives Jeppesen’s vehicles an extra “Wow! factor–deep, glossy black tires that offset the vehicle’s rich painted and chrome surfaces.
“I also suggest dry wiping your tires (using a dry cloth) to stop the tire dressing from flinging and throwing all over your paintwork. Remember, more is not better.”
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When it comes to your windows, Jeppesen uses an ammonia-free cleaner designed for automobile glass. He also uses it to clean LCD screens as well as interior and exterior mirrors.
“Be sure not to use ammonia window cleaners on the inside of your vehicle because it will harm the window tint.”
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Inspect in the bright spring shine before driving off into the setting sun. Once you’ve finished, Jeppesen says to drive your vehicle into the bright sun to highlight any areas you may have missed.
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