Seasonal Car Care: Get That Ride In Shape for Spring!
Updated October 11, 2022
Car care after a long winter is critical to the life of a vehicle. And while many people stay on top of maintenance during the cold season, a lot of us let things slide. Not to mention, some of those jobs simply can’t be tackled in winter.
But the problem with letting things slide is that soon they’re forgotten entirely. And then those long, fair-weather drives get interrupted by bangs, clanks, squeaks, and squeals.
With April being National Car Care Month, we thought it was time for a friendly reminder to get your ride back in shape. (And we don’t just mean some simple spring cleaning.) That’s why we’re supplying you with a quick checklist of issues to look for, trouble areas to address, and preventative maintenance to make life easier.
Strip It Down
Trying to identify trouble areas on a vehicle that’s covered in several months worth of dirt and road grime is like flying blind. Sure, you can see the big problems immediately—but chances are you already knew about those.
In order to work proactively to ensure a smooth-running ride for spring, you need to strip every ounce of dirt, mud, and debris off the vehicle. We’ve talked about spring cleaning on the blog before—and we even offered some advice on detailing at home. So if you’re tackling this job solo, start there for some tips and tricks.
Recommended Car Care Products
Dedicated car wash soaps are great—like that go-to bottle of Meguiar’s Gold Class you’ve got lying around, but there are a few exciting new products on the market that you should consider adding to your arsenal as well.
A few years ago, Hot Wheels teamed up with NY-based Americana Pro to deliver a specially-formulated series of car care products. Manufactured in the U.S. using only professional-grade ingredients, these products aim to deliver a deep show-car shine that lasts.
They’re also packaged in a way that makes your life easier – like the Legend Tour Bucket. This convenient all-in-one bundle guarantees your ride is washed, waxed, and protected for the road ahead. It includes a variety of high-quality products, including car shampoo, tire cleaner & finish, and shine detailer, as well as all the tools you need to get the job done – microfiber towels, a wash mitt, even the bucket. And for right around $80, it’s a genuine value.
Also new to the car care market, is Mothers California Gold Car Wash, a super-sudsy formula that easily removes paint-dulling road grime, contaminants, and dirt to reveal a like-new shine. This powerhouse car wash is pH balanced and environmentally friendly to ensure a well-maintained finish – without stripping protective coatings. Perfectly pairs with your favorite foam cannon if you want to increase the cleaning force.
If a long-lasting protective coat is what you’re really after, take a look at Chemical Guy’s Hydro Line. This entire line offers easy-to-use ceramic protectants and coatings to shield off harmful elements while leaving behind a high gloss. The Hydro ceramic family has products for all areas of your car, including glass, wheel & rims, tires & trims, interior, leather, fabric, and more.
Exterior Recon
After a good cleaning, next always look for rust. Now, we’ve visited this topic more than a few times on the blog, too. But if you live anywhere near the Rust Belt, you know why I’m coming back to it.
Rust will present itself in many ways and dealing with it as soon as possible is crucial to proper car care. Any signs of bubbles in the paint, or pitting, is a clear indicator that rust is present.
Dealing with rust after it has developed is a massive pain. Why? Because there is always more than you can see right away. Trust me when I say that preventing it from ever occurring will save you hours upon hours of mind-wrecking labor.
As you look over your vehicle, take note of any chips in the paint or scratches—essentially, anywhere bare metal is exposed. Address these areas with paint pens or aerosol spray depending on the size. Dupli-Color has a wide array of paints, primers, and coatings in a variety of application tools to get you started.
To protect your vehicle before these chips even have a chance to occur, look into a quality paint protection film. 3M recently added a new high-gloss option to its Scotchgard line.
Offering protection from scratches, bug damage, road tar and debris, stains, and Mother Nature’s wrath, the Paint Protection Film Pro Series 200 features a smooth top surface with hydrophobic qualities for easy maintenance. While you’ll likely need to cough up the cash for a professional installation, the generous 10-year warranty should help lessen the blow.
You need to do more than just a walk-around.
Remember, body panels and paint aren’t everything. For your spring car care session, getting under the vehicle and checking the mechanical parts is just as important.
We get it: no one likes crawling under a cold, wet vehicle. But ignorance is not bliss in this case. You need to know what’s happening under there. So, get the wheels off and check out the wheel well. Look for any heavily worn parts—ball joints, brake calipers, and brake lines all take a heavy beating throughout the winter so make sure to check them out. If any of them need replacing, turn to brands like A1 Cardone, Dorman, and MOOG for a wide product range and quality parts.
Speaking of brakes, the wheels you take off will likely have their fair share of brake dust built up on them. Cleaning that dust out of the wheel well can be easily addressed with a little Brākleen, but you need to give those wheels a little more TLC.
Brake dust can be harmful to the metal and finish, so it isn’t something you want to procrastinate cleaning. Dedicated wheel cleaners like those offered by Meguiar’s or Mothers are an excellent choice, and the new Chemical Guys Keep Wheels & Tires Clean Kit is perfect for having all the essential tools for a thorough cleaning. Remember, you’ll need to break out a scrub brush and put in a little elbow grease for this step, but we promise you’ll be happy with the finished product.
Look For Leaks
Leaks can be hard to spot in the winter due to the ground already being wet. While this definitely isn’t a fun job, it’s important to proper car care.
Of course, spotting leaks can initially be done by looking at the ground where the vehicle is parked. Keep an eye out for suspicious puddles that look like more than simple condensation. Place a piece of white cardboard or a sheet under the car to catch a few drips. That way, you can investigate the color and odor of the fluid and help you better diagnose the leak.
However, some leaks are small enough to render this ineffective. Climbing under the vehicle and checking under the hood for signs of leaking oil, coolant, transmission fluid, brake fluid, and gear oil from the differential is the best method. Sometimes, these leaks will be immediately noticeable. If you want to be extra diligent, use a UV light for better detection.
Undercarriage Protection
Addressing your existing layer of undercarriage protection or adding one at this point is also a great idea. Fluid-based protectants may be filled with dirt and grime from the winter—something that should be easy to determine from a quick inspection.
Heavy-duty protection can wear down too, though, so look for any chips or scratches. If you catch it early enough, you’ll only see paint underneath. Too late, and you’ll see rust shining through—which means you have a bigger issue to address.
If you’re dealing with heavy chipping or heavily polluted protection, it will no longer be able to do its job and it’s time to refresh. If you prefer fluid-type protection, stripping it down and sticking with a brand like Fluid Film is perfect. And, like most car care, if you want something extra-durable that you won’t have to reapply every season, see the professionals.
If you’re looking for more information regarding undercarriage care, we have an article for that too. The focus pertains to winter season preparation, but the principles still apply.
Step Inside
Before you get to scrubbing out the interior of your vehicle, start by removing all the rocks and chunks of debris that may be living inside. Coarse materials trapped in the seats, carpet, and floor mats can cause serious damage as they move around by cutting into delicate fibers.
Kick panels are also a problem area during the winter. Wearing big boots covered in mud and snow tends to take a toll on this area of the vehicle. That grime loves to sink in here, so elbow grease and aggressive scrubbing may be necessary.
Road salt, in particular, can leave a nasty residue on your car’s interior. A 50/50 mixture of vinegar and hot water will make quick work of the mess, and safely neutralize the corrosive salt.
However, if you’d rather go with an off-the-shelf solution that doesn’t leave the interior smelling like pickles, check out 303’s salt destroying “wash boost.” Great for winter-beaten cars or corrosive marine saltwater environments, you simply add 1 ounce to a 3-5 gallon bucket of pre-mixed wash solution and wash as normal.
Don’t forget to give those seals a look-see, too. You may have noticed a leak or two in the doors over the winter time and thought little of it. However, if you have an older vehicle, this is prime time to check out the weather stripping and seals for any signs of dry rot or cracks, replacing them if necessary.
And while it may seem like a silly part of seasonal car care, check out those cup holders. You’ve definitely spilled a coffee or two over the long winter months, so it’s highly likely you have some good ol’ stickiness going on in there. It may not seem like much, but over time that gunk gets significantly harder to remove and can even stain or destroy areas of the console.
The Details
Now that you’ve gotten the painful issues out of the way, you can move onto the nitty-gritty: detailing. This process is truly an art and each owner will have their own method to follow—so I won’t bother lecturing you on the how-to. However, if you would like a little help or some guidance on what not to do, check out our post from last spring on at-home detailing.
Happy scrubbing!
