Car Maintenance

Car Washing Dos & Don‘ts

After enduring an accident, you can‘t wait to ditch the rental car and pick up your recently repaired vehicle from our auto body shop. Once you get it home, here are some steps you can take to ensure your car remains looking its best post-repair.

General Washing Tips

While washing your car, don‘t use household soaps or detergents. And don‘t forget to wash the inside bottom edge of your doors, trunk, hood and lift gate in order to combat premature rusting.

Be sure to rinse off spilled antifreeze, gasoline and transmission fluid immediately, but resist the urge to simply wipe off the fluids. Fallen leaves can stain the finish of your car, so remove them from your vehicle as frequently as possible.

Winter Washing Tips

After heading up into the mountains on a ski or snowboarding trip, wash from your car the salt used on roads in snowy/icy conditions in order to prevent corrosion, fading and rust, which are common problems found in New England states.

Doors, Seals & the Undercarriage

To preserve your door and window seals, use a rubber protectant or silicone–not an oil based product–to wipe onto weatherstripping. Wheel well splash guards can tear or rip easily, so check them occasionally in order to prevent water and sediments from splashing into the engine compartment.

Interior Washing Tips

Use a rag to apply vinyl protectant to prevent cracking and fading in your car‘s interior. When using leather-cleaning products, avoid applying ones with a high alkaline content, as they will bleach out the color. Also, do not give into the temptation and convenience of simply using one of your household cleaners on your car‘s upholstery.

Prevention Tips for Babies on Board

To prevent foods and all sorts of sticky material from migrating from your baby onto your car, place a sheet of heavy plastic and an absorbent towel beneath the baby seat to minimize (and hopefully eliminate) damage to your car‘s interior.